Today I took it easy on the ride to work on the trails. I had some miles ahead of me on the ride home: I made a stop at Wright Park (South Folsom and West Pioneers) to watch my daughter's softball game. On the way home from there I took a "new to me" trail from West Pioneers back to Charleston street. I would guess it was about 8 miles of pea gravel... without a pinch flat on stupid-skinny road tires.
I discovered that 15mph is the "sweet spot" for 23mm tires and pea gravel. The bike feels like it's bouncing all over the place when I go faster, while the bike feels like it's mushing down into the gravel when I go slower. Going slower is not unlike riding on Nokians in the winter.
Overall I spent about 95 minutes on the bike today. I haven't checked to see how far I went because I don't really care: today was a "light effort" day.
Tomorrow I hit the weights one last time before the Yutan TT. Early Saturday morning is my last tune-up before Yutan.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Trail Re-alignment?
If you cycle through Lincoln at all, you know they're upgrading the trail network. Part of these growing pains involve fixing existing trails and re-routing us on super narrow sidewalks. Yesterday I noticed a collection of stakes in the ground across the creek channel from the trail and decided to ask google what was going on. This is what I got in return
http://lincoln.ne.gov/city/parks/ParksFacilities/trails/index.htm
I'm still curious as to how it's going to work under 27th and capitol parkway, going from the west side of the channel to the east side without flooding over every time it rains.
Time will tell!
http://lincoln.ne.gov/city/parks/ParksFacilities/trails/index.htm
There will also be temporary detours between 27th Street and Randolph Street as a new bridge and connection to the Antelope Valley Trails is being completed. The Trail is going to be relocated to the east side of the channel. Temporary detour is the sidewalk on the west side of Capitol Parkway.There's already a trail on the east side of the channel that goes under J street and terminates near the Lincoln Arts Program door. Perhaps I wasn't far off in my last post about a Randolph/G street underpass in the coming years. That would be sweet!
I'm still curious as to how it's going to work under 27th and capitol parkway, going from the west side of the channel to the east side without flooding over every time it rains.
Time will tell!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Who ordered the wind?
The weather has been awesome recently, save for the wind. Had I ridden to work today, I would have gotten to experience the dreaded "dual headwind", where one ride to their destination into the wind, and then the wind shifts... and one gets to ride into the wind back home.
Not to be confused with the mythical "dual tailwind", which is where one pedals to their destination with the wind at their back, and the wind shifts... and one gets to ride with the wind back home. (Anyone who says this happened to them is, perhaps, embellishing the truth...)
I didn't ride to work today because I dropped my bike off at the shop Monday because of a creaking bottom bracket. I caught a ride with my wife this morning, picked the bike up at the shop and rode it home today. Smooth, like butter on the muffin.
Most Lincoln cyclists know the city is "remodeling" the Antelope Creek and the adjacent bike trail in an effort to reduce the floodplain in the central part of the city. I rode the train at the zoo with my kids Saturday and got to see work on the bike trail and creekbed to the east. The grading work that's been completed appears to yield a much wider and smoother trail than the narrow, twisted and crumbly asphalt trail they removed.
It's scheduled to be completed by November 2011. I'd like to see a G/Randolph street underpass completed by November 2012. Then one could conceivably cross the city under human power faster than internal combustion.
Well, as long as the 25mph (gusts to 55) wind was at your back.
Not to be confused with the mythical "dual tailwind", which is where one pedals to their destination with the wind at their back, and the wind shifts... and one gets to ride with the wind back home. (Anyone who says this happened to them is, perhaps, embellishing the truth...)
I didn't ride to work today because I dropped my bike off at the shop Monday because of a creaking bottom bracket. I caught a ride with my wife this morning, picked the bike up at the shop and rode it home today. Smooth, like butter on the muffin.
Most Lincoln cyclists know the city is "remodeling" the Antelope Creek and the adjacent bike trail in an effort to reduce the floodplain in the central part of the city. I rode the train at the zoo with my kids Saturday and got to see work on the bike trail and creekbed to the east. The grading work that's been completed appears to yield a much wider and smoother trail than the narrow, twisted and crumbly asphalt trail they removed.
It's scheduled to be completed by November 2011. I'd like to see a G/Randolph street underpass completed by November 2012. Then one could conceivably cross the city under human power faster than internal combustion.
Well, as long as the 25mph (gusts to 55) wind was at your back.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Just what is this Paleo Diet?
So I read Friel's training bible. Chapter 16 is all about fueling up for big rides and adjusting one's diet for endurance vs intensity as a racing season progresses. He's also co-authored a book entitled "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" with Loren Cordain, author of "The Paleo Diet".
I got curious. What is a Paleo Diet? What does it entail?
The simple answer: eat like our caveman ancestors did.
What does that mean?
You'll find there are as many answers to that question as there are paleo diet proponents, but they all have some common guidelines:
1. Avoid processed frankenfoods
2. Eat your vegetables
3. We can run great distances because we isolated and chased our prey like wolves do, so eat your meat.
4. Avoid grain based foods.
5. Most vegetable oils fall under #1, though a few exceptions apply, so cook with animal fat when you can
Where the proponents begin to differ is in what else is "okay". Many are okay with dairy, as long as it's not fat free. Most are okay with carbohydrates from root vegetables and fruit. Many of these foods have a low glycemic index and low glycemic load and therefore won't send your pancreas into a tailspin dumping insulin everywhere.
I've been taking baby steps. My wife and kids aren't cave dwellers, so I indulge in spaghetti or a sandwich every so often.
But I notice I eat fewer calories overall on the days I lean towards paleo (eggs, bacon, a salad, grilled meat and grilled vegetables), while I tend to eat too much on the days I eat more grains.
I won't completely avoid grain based foods: I enjoy beer. Heck, I brew the stuff.
I got curious. What is a Paleo Diet? What does it entail?
The simple answer: eat like our caveman ancestors did.
What does that mean?
You'll find there are as many answers to that question as there are paleo diet proponents, but they all have some common guidelines:
1. Avoid processed frankenfoods
2. Eat your vegetables
3. We can run great distances because we isolated and chased our prey like wolves do, so eat your meat.
4. Avoid grain based foods.
5. Most vegetable oils fall under #1, though a few exceptions apply, so cook with animal fat when you can
Where the proponents begin to differ is in what else is "okay". Many are okay with dairy, as long as it's not fat free. Most are okay with carbohydrates from root vegetables and fruit. Many of these foods have a low glycemic index and low glycemic load and therefore won't send your pancreas into a tailspin dumping insulin everywhere.
I've been taking baby steps. My wife and kids aren't cave dwellers, so I indulge in spaghetti or a sandwich every so often.
But I notice I eat fewer calories overall on the days I lean towards paleo (eggs, bacon, a salad, grilled meat and grilled vegetables), while I tend to eat too much on the days I eat more grains.
I won't completely avoid grain based foods: I enjoy beer. Heck, I brew the stuff.
Monday, March 21, 2011
NSFW, but safe for work.
2011 Not Sorry for Forgetting Work Ride.
Details here.
I did last years inaugural event. Total blast. You should do it, too.
Details here.
I did last years inaugural event. Total blast. You should do it, too.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
More Protein? Greek Yogurt and Whey Powder
The "Fuel" chapter of Friel's Training Bible suggests one should observe their calorie needs and eat 25% of those calories from protein sources. Fair enough.
I started using My Fitness Pal to help in that regard. To my surprise, I only eat about 60-80g of protein a day. Even on workout days where I get to eat another 500-1500 calories over my baseline, I have trouble breaking 125g. This amounts to being about 9-15% of my daily calorie intake.
While I've made some changes in my diet to consume more protein (packing some tuna, cottage cheese, string cheese, etc. with my lunch), I still fall 20-40g short almost every day.
I have noticed that with more protein comes less overall hunger. I have a sneaking suspicion "low carb" diets work by shocking your body into telling your brain that you're full on 800-1000 calories a day. But that's neither here nor there...
I did some research and asked some questions, the responses from everyone included "greek yogurt" and "whey powder".
I have been hesitant to try whey powder. I tried it in the past and could not stick with it because it tasted so horribly awful.
On top of that, I'm not really a big fan of nutritional supplements in general, but in the quest for more protein without inconveniencing my carbohydrate-loving family, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I picked up some "NNW" peanut butter and chocolate flavored whey powder from the grocery store. It was the least expensive variety and it is also marketed by a company in Gretna, Nebraska. Inexpensive + Local = Win.
The flavor of NNW is pretty light compared with the chocolate twinlab stuff I bought years ago, but not so light it's rendered tasteless. I tried some with a cup of skim milk and was pleasantly surprised.
I also bought four varieties of Greek Yogurt to test out/review this week.
I started using My Fitness Pal to help in that regard. To my surprise, I only eat about 60-80g of protein a day. Even on workout days where I get to eat another 500-1500 calories over my baseline, I have trouble breaking 125g. This amounts to being about 9-15% of my daily calorie intake.
While I've made some changes in my diet to consume more protein (packing some tuna, cottage cheese, string cheese, etc. with my lunch), I still fall 20-40g short almost every day.
I have noticed that with more protein comes less overall hunger. I have a sneaking suspicion "low carb" diets work by shocking your body into telling your brain that you're full on 800-1000 calories a day. But that's neither here nor there...
I did some research and asked some questions, the responses from everyone included "greek yogurt" and "whey powder".
I have been hesitant to try whey powder. I tried it in the past and could not stick with it because it tasted so horribly awful.
On top of that, I'm not really a big fan of nutritional supplements in general, but in the quest for more protein without inconveniencing my carbohydrate-loving family, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I picked up some "NNW" peanut butter and chocolate flavored whey powder from the grocery store. It was the least expensive variety and it is also marketed by a company in Gretna, Nebraska. Inexpensive + Local = Win.
The flavor of NNW is pretty light compared with the chocolate twinlab stuff I bought years ago, but not so light it's rendered tasteless. I tried some with a cup of skim milk and was pleasantly surprised.
I also bought four varieties of Greek Yogurt to test out/review this week.
- Yoplait Greek
- Dannon Greek
- Anderson Erickson Greek
- Athenos Strained Greek
All of these are plain and fat-free. The Yoplait and Anderson-Erickson come in 6oz containers. The Dannon is a smaller 5.3oz container. The Athenos is a 2-serving 16oz tub. The protein content of each varies between 17 and 23g.
Why "plain" Greek yogurt? Simple: the flavored varieties of Greek yogurt are loaded with sugar. If I'm eating a dairy product with that much added sugar, it better be served over a split banana, drenched in chocolate syrup and topped with a maraschino cherry. Just sayin'.
Here is what I would choose in order of taste:
I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before deciding whether or not the added protein is beneficial.
Here is what I would choose in order of taste:
- Anderson-Erickson
- Dannon
- Athenos
- Yoplait
I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before deciding whether or not the added protein is beneficial.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Risk versus Reward
I went out tonight to scoop the snow off my driveway and discovered what a 20 below wind chill feels like. I am not super human. I have my limits. I probably won't bike in that. Well, not this season at least.
When I biked home Monday the wind chill was about 5 below. That was bearable, you are your own heater.
The temperature is going to be about 7 below first thing in the morning, the wind chill will make it feel like 35 below. Let me tell you how I'm not getting to work. While I value both the mental toughness it takes to persevere through adverse conditions and the physical fitness gains from climbing Nebraska Mountains, I'm going to sit high and mighty in the heated leather seat of a Ford on the trips to and from work. I just can't fathom the small rewards from such a high risk activity.
While yes, you are your own heater, the intensity level needed to keep warm at those temps coincides with your body's natural tendency to sweat automatically. Once that sweat freezes to your skin, game over.
To paraphrase an old Denis Leary punchline: "Death, the ultimate physical fitness!"
Tonight was a good night for a moderately intense indoor trainer ride, pushing my heart rate into L3 and holding it for 30 minutes.
I'm going to do it again for the next two weeks regardless of the weather, but for 45 and 60 minutes.
When I biked home Monday the wind chill was about 5 below. That was bearable, you are your own heater.
The temperature is going to be about 7 below first thing in the morning, the wind chill will make it feel like 35 below. Let me tell you how I'm not getting to work. While I value both the mental toughness it takes to persevere through adverse conditions and the physical fitness gains from climbing Nebraska Mountains, I'm going to sit high and mighty in the heated leather seat of a Ford on the trips to and from work. I just can't fathom the small rewards from such a high risk activity.
While yes, you are your own heater, the intensity level needed to keep warm at those temps coincides with your body's natural tendency to sweat automatically. Once that sweat freezes to your skin, game over.
To paraphrase an old Denis Leary punchline: "Death, the ultimate physical fitness!"
Tonight was a good night for a moderately intense indoor trainer ride, pushing my heart rate into L3 and holding it for 30 minutes.
I'm going to do it again for the next two weeks regardless of the weather, but for 45 and 60 minutes.
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