Last Barry Roubaix training ride

With the help of my friend Tony I got my hitch installed on the Crosstrek. I was down and out on Saturday. Had a fever and sore throat. Didn't do a darn thing. There was a training ride Sunday morning so I figured I would give it a shot and loaded up.

I had to take the Kuat rack from a 4 bike down to a 2 bike so it is easier to carry. lol. Honestly, the 4 spot rack is just overkill for my little car. The changeover was simple (4 bolts) and I had it on the ride and ready to rock. Thankfully I got to sleep in some because the ride wasn't until 11am.

Upon arrival I saw Jay and Dan T. along with Dwight, Charles and a few other WSI riders. Dan S. pulled in and we were ready to rock. Dan S. brought a tank to a Formula 1 race. What I mean is...he had a Borealis Yampa with Studs. Yes...a fat bike with studs....6 PSI...and the roads were like concrete. The majority of the group was on CX bikes and a few were on their mountain bikes. It was evident that the ride was going to be good for a fat bike. He opted for the 24 mile route. Wise choice.

The group made the turn onto the 36 mile loop and there was a river crossing....yes...a river crossing in the middle of the road. It was only about 5' wide and 6-8" deep. The Barry is a CX race....so no biggie right? lol. I was on the Defy again with the CX tires and the roads were in awesome shape. Only one road we hit had ice and it was a short section. There were also some areas where it was getting soft and you could tell that the mud was there a few days before. Thankfully it was frozen because temps were in the low 20's when we were out there.

The group opted to cut the ride short because of the lower temps. We took M-43 and cut out the finish/start of the route. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Nailed the long climb on Gun Lake Road and ripped it back to the car. My average speed was .6 mph higher than my fastest race time. And my average heart rate was 9 beats per minute lower.....so I am doing alright.

Rick just posted the start waves for Saturday. I get to lead the pack out of Hastings. Wow....that will be an experience. Having around 3000 people behind me trying to beat me to the finish line. Hey...I will always have someone to ride with.....See ya Saturday.

Barry-Roubaix (training and course update)

Brian, Mark and I headed out to test out the roads this past Saturday. It didn't take long before we figured out that the gravel roads were not going to be rideable. The first one we hit was pure ice. There was about a 6" strip on each edge that was walkable...but riding it was out of the question.

Mark and I (Photo Courtesy: Brian B.)

So...instead of risking injury or worse, we hit the pavement. We rode out until the odometer read 10 miles and we turned back towards the car. We managed about 21 miles and took advantage of the warmish temperatures. But.....we talked about warm weather...and melting.

Mark lives by the Barry Roubaix course so he rode Monday night. The picture below is what the roads looked like. Nasty...but alas....no ice.

Photo courtesy of Mark K.

But....the banner is up in Hastings.....

Photo courtesy of Mark K.

I did get out and ride this past Sunday. Too nice outside to skip a ride. I found a bunch of hills. My first 21 miles were pretty good. I was feeling good and holding my speed. The problem was, I rode 21 the day before and I turned straight into a headwind for the trip home. 7 miles....and it pulled my average speed down a full MPH. At any rate, I got a solid 30 miles in to cap of the weekend. Stepped on the scale Monday and I was 245. Down 22 pounds for the year. Got a new ride. Can use my wife's awesome Kuat rack and look like a real cyclist. lol. 

Because of the crazy week last week we ate out a few days and I had a lot of bread. My allergies flared up and I was miserable all last week. Sunday I cut wheat again and I am already feeling better. Pretty amazing that after many years of dealing with terrible allergies that they might have all been caused by a gluten sensitivity. 

10 days from today we will be racing! My season will begin!

1st Barry Boubaix Ride of the year.

 Finally got a road report that said the roads were ride-able with a mix of sand and snow with some minimal ice. Jay B., Mark K. and I decided it was time to get outdoors and ride this damn course. We had decent weather too, it was mid 20's and cloudy. We met at the Long Lake Outdoor Center and we headed out. 

I decided to ride my Defy with the CX tires on it. Probably not the best decision because of the conditions...but I want to try to ride this during the race so I needed to see if it was even possible. About 1/4 mile in I started to have my doubts. The first turn we made...I ended up in a pile because of some icy ruts. Uh-oh went through my mind...because we hit our first gravel road I hit the ground shortly thereafter. Thankfully, that was the only time I hit the dirt. 

We plodded onward. I was surprised that I was able to make the climbs on the road bike. Last year I had trouble climbing then even with the granny gears on my Epic.....and having the Defy I was forced to just spin what I had...and I took advice from a teammate (Dave W.) and I just put my nose on the bar and spun as hard as I could. The hills are always tough. This year, I look at them differently. I wasn't seeing the hills as long and nasty, but as tolerable. I guess not suffering as much is helpful.

We rode a modified loop. Taking the normal course to M-43 and then just staying on M-43 until we picked the course back up. About 26 miles of hills, ice, dirt, and snow. And friends. Always fun to ride and be NOT LAZY with friends. We just plugged away for a few hours and got back to the car. For once, I wasn't the last person back to the parking lot. I won't call out who it was....just felt good that it wasn't me for a change!

Got the bike cleaned up and rode the trainer last night. Unfortunately my ride got cut short by a flat tire....yes...on the trainer....it happens. HA. I must have pinched the tube when I put my trainer tire back on last night. I was at nearly an hour and I noticed my pedaling was way easier. Then the tire started to slip. Very odd feeling. What sucks...is that I was feeling really good and wanted to keep going. Still, a solid hour of recovery after a Barry Roubaix ride was probably for the best.

Barry Roubaix in less than 3 weeks. Lowell 50 in less than 5 weeks. Just glad I might be able to ride the Defy as long as conditions are suitable. I don't have the mud clearance that a cross bike would offer. I have just enough clearance for the CX tires. HA! 

So, just going to keep plugging away. Feeling good. Staying positive. Enjoying life.

Riding Outside!!!

On Saturday I took the little girls down to Fort Custer for Snow Stock with the Bike Fort Custer clan. We did some sledding, snowboarding, and had some snacks. It was windy, but it was a fun day none the less. It was nice hanging out with people I haven't seen in months.

Sunday, the plan was to ride the Barry Roubaix course, but the roads are pure ice up there in Barry County. After talking on Saturday and getting a road report everyone decided it was better to skip the training ride. Instead, I stuck close to home and took the Defy out with the CX tires on it. I had to ride outside and I really wanted to put in a solid effort so I headed for the hills. This being the first ride outside this year the hills didn't feel good. But at the same time...they felt good. It was just nice to be riding outside. I headed out of town and around Lake Allegan. The Dam is on the Northern end of the lake. I stopped and snapped the pic below.

Lake Allegan, the road is Allegan Dam Road

The sun was shining and the wind was howling. Temps were in the twenties. At this point I was feeling comfortable so I pushed onward. I headed across M-40 and out to where I know a long climb is located. The segment is 1.6 miles. It is a grind of a climb with a bit of rest after and then another long climb. I kept chugging away. The roads were dry and it felt awesome to be out on the bike. Rode a solid 27 miles.

Weighed in a 246 this morning. Back to 21 pounds down for the year. Feeling pretty good, and with a race in less than a month would love to be under 240 by then. Gotta keep moving! Still on pace to be under 200 by the end of the year!!!

Ramping up

Tomorrow will be exactly 4 weeks until Barry Roubaix. 2 Weeks after that is The Lowell 50. And another 2 weeks after that my true season begins with the Yankee Springs Time Trial. So....I am going to work. Been on the trainer a few nights a week. Eating good again this week after a hiatus last week. Feeling pretty good.

So......4 weeks until the first race......6 to the second race.....and 8 until my first A race. I was 248.5 last Sunday. The following is my projected weights for each race.

Barry Roubaix     238.5

Lowell 50            234.5

Yankee Springs    230.5

I would love to be in the 220's by Yankee but I will settle for 2 pounds per week. I am still on track for my goal of sub 200 by the end of the year so as long as I stay on that track....I will take it.

Training has ramped up...more intervals.....more time....more distance. 4 weeks will fly by and I need to be as ready as I can. I still have a goal of 2.5 hours for Barry Roubaix....that is 14.4 mph for that race.....way faster than my fastest time ever. The difference this year......I am already 10 pounds lighter than two years ago.

Lets do it.

So far....

So far 2014 has been a pretty good year. I have found some determination and have stuck to my diet plan for the first time ever. I am down 21 pounds for the year. I have only ridden 150 miles this year, but my average speed is higher this year than it was at this point last year. Not by much, but I feel stronger. I actually churned out 90 minutes on the trainer last night. It has been a good year. The weight loss is mainly nutrition. My trainer sessions are ramping up now and I am feeling pretty good.


So...21 pounds down. Averaging 3.5 pounds down per week. I am a full 12 pounds lighter than I was at this point last year. My goal for Yankee Springs last year was to be at 240. I am 246 today...and Yankee is a long way away still. If I keep my current pace I will be in the 220's for Barry Roubaix and potentially in the 2 hundred teens for Yankee. My lightest ever. I can't even imagine how much better I will feel when I don't have to drag an extra 50 pounds up the hills of Barry county and Yankee Springs. It is amazing how much better the 21 pounds feel.

So....less than 6 weeks until Barry Roubaix. I really need this snow to start melting so I can get out and ride. Way too much ice on the roads still. I did set my goal pretty steep for BR. A goal of 2.5 hours. That is an average speed of 14.4 mph. Looking back at my training logs I see that my fastest avg speed is only 12.4......so I need to be a full 2 mph faster this year. Well....I am off to a good start....but I have yet to climb a hill on my bike in 2014. I know it will be harder....but I will also have recovery on the downhills....something the trainer does not have.

All I know is this.....I am thankful for my family....my friends...and my support group. You guys know who you are and I can't wait to thank each of you in person!  Keep moving forward!!!!

Stress eating--containment

Over the years I have realized that I am an emotional eater....

Happy...eat

sad....eat

pissed....eat

angry...eat

excited...eat

ect.....eat

You see, it doesn't really matter. Any emotion, food is the savior. Or should I say WAS the savior. I have learned a lot since starting South Beach. I also have a different determination this year. I am more aware of myself...more aware of what I do...and why I do it. I was able to make it through a stressful day without eating any junk. Even being home with junk in the house I was able to avoid the junk for the weekend. This week has been no different. I gave my 2 week notice on Monday. This created some stress over the weekend and more stress on Monday and into Tuesday. It was rough....for sure. I did have some food that I shouldn't have...but it was very limited.

The point is...I knew I was just wanting candy and ice cream and whatever else I could find because I was stressed....and I recognized it. So instead of eating 2 donuts....I cut one in half and that was it. Done. I could have very easily have let myself eat a full donut....and a bowl of ice cream....and a bag of doritos...but I didn't. I knew...so I stopped. 

I am on track. Even did 75 minutes on the trainer last night. Down 16 pounds for the year. Making better choices. Staying focused. Just keep moving forward.

And...with the new job...might be able to get a new bike and maybe a new car!