190KM Ride on January 4, 2010

I went on a 190KM ride today. It was the first ride in my pursuit of the Larry Schwartz Award from the UMCA. It is awarded to cyclists who complete one 90-mile (or greater) ride each calander month for one year.

It is also the beginning of my serious training for this July's Race Across Oregon.

I did not finish RAO last year and I do not want that to happen again, so I am approaching my training a little differently.

One thing is not changing is YOGA!

Check back soon for more updates on my training and ideas for your own.

Namaste,

Jim

My Second Race

In an attempt to shake up the training for RAO in July I have joined OBRA and have participated in two races now. I wrote a little of the first in my last post, but the second race was more educational for me.

I rode in the Eugene-Roubaix on April 18, a road race over a 13 mile course with a couple interesting hills and a 1.5 KM section of gravel road right before the finish. I could have raced either the Masters race or the CAT 4/5 race.

I am able to race in the Masters category due to the fact that I am 43 in racing years and this qualifies me to race in the Masters (my lack of experience qualifies me to race with Category 5 riders and some Category 4 races). The Masters race was 52 miles long and started at 10:05 AM. The CAT 4/5 race (which I am also qualified to race in) was 39 miles long and started at 2:05 in the afternoon. I decided on racing in the Masters race because it would allow me to get home sooner and was a longer race. I didn't realize that almost all of the other racers were CAT 2's and 3's. Now that I know that I feel pretty good about my finish.

I did finish. I came in 17th out of 22 finishers (26 starters). I was the only CAT 5 racer in the field. I wanted to finish with the pack but I was dropped about 2 miles from the end and couldn't bridge back to the group. I held my own for 95% of the race but I lost the wheel of the back of the group and couldn't come back.

I felt a little depressed about my finish until I found out that I was the only CAT 5, and there were only two CAT 4's. I came in ahead of five CAT 2 and 3 racers and that made me smile a little.

My Heart Rate Monitor numbers really popped out at me. My MAX pulse was 197 bpm and my MAX Watts was just under 1000. I was pushing 38 mph at one point, over flat terrain (not downhill) and taking my turns at the front. My avg HR was 167 bpm. That was my CTS Field test Maximum HR.

Apparently I have a lot to learn about the proper way to ride in a pack as the other guys were yelling at me. One guy actually said a few things to help and I did better, but I got tired of being yelled at. The CAT 5s don't know enough themselves to yell. I also got a warning for crossing the centerline to pass a rider. That is a big no-no and I was almost DQ'ed.

What I learned was that I have made significant improvements, but I still need to improve my power, upper-heart rate endurance and my understanding of my limitations. The last item listed is the most important, I believe. If I can play to my strengths, improve my limiters and keep working hard enough to continue to improve, I should finish the Race Across Oregon, and that is my goal.

After the race I got lots of funny looks as I did about 25 minutes of recovery yoga next to my car. I really helped and I felt great the next day.

Namaste,

Jim

My First Race

Hello,

I participated in my very first bicycle race on Sunday, March 29. It was called the "Piece of Cake Road Race" and was sanctioned by OBRA, the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. I raced as a CAT 5, the lowest level possible. I could have raced as a "Master", meaning over 40, but I chose to race with all ages of rookies. I had a great time and finished 9th out of about 40 who started.

What I was happiest about was my ability to stay on the wheel of some of these guys who had a lot of racing experience. I was never dropped. I did a lot of work at the front of the pace line and even had another rider thank me for all of my work at the front. There was a pretty bad crash involving several riders right in front of me, but I was able to react and avoid crashing myself. I had the wits to immediately accelerate and put a large group behind me, thus joining the front runners. I think I could have finished a little higher if I had made a stronger move at the "One Kilometer" flag.

I never imagined that I would start racing bicycles, but I had such a good time I have decided to continue doing it. Tuesday nights from April through August, OBRA hosts racing at PIR. the racetrack near the airport. So I will use those races to increase my possibility of actually finishing the Race Across Oregon in July, which is what all this is about.

I did about 30-40 minutes of yoga after the race and felt great later that day and the next. I took the following day off from training (it was an off day with or without the race) and hit the trainer this morning. I must say I felt fantastic this morning. The yoga as a recovery jump start is so effective I wonder why every bicycle racer in the world doesn't make it a focus of their training. I had no sore spot anywhere but the insertion point of my hamstrings, behind my glutes. And a good round of Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana (pigeon pose) done Yin Yoga style did the trick there.

Now, I am off to bed for another 5 AM start in the garage, on the trainer. I can't wait for the weather to improve enough for me to do the majority of my miles outside.

Bye for now,

Namaste,

Jim

200KM in the Bag

Hello,

I finished the Seattle International Randonneurs 200KM "Chili Feed" brevet on Saturday in 8 hours, 35 minutes. I cut an hour off of my best time from last year, but finished well behind my target time. I either seriously underestimated the course, or seriously overestimated my fitness. Probably both. Still, I am pleased with my improvement over last year and with my numeric result of being the 13th rider in out of 118 who started. Even if you remove half of those other riders from the formula (as noodlers), I feel pretty good about my result.

The key is "pretty good". I am not satisfied with my fitness or my time. This ride really showed me that it is time to start the next phase of my training. I will now work on continuing to increase my endurance while really focusing on leg strength. My aerobic condition was above average, but I suffered on the climbs. I was dropped by two guys riding in a pace line and I didn't want to be dropped. I tried to stay on their wheel, but I couldn't. The lead rider commented that it took them a long time to catch me, but they caught me and I was dropped. I did hold my own in a six-rider pace line, taking my turns on point and, if anything, upping the pace when it was my turn. But I got dropped on that climb and I didn't want to get dropped because I knew a control was coming up and I wanted to hang with them until the control. And I got dropped.

Back on the bike.

Namaste,

Jim

The First Brevet of the Season!

Hello,

Tomorrow is the first brevet of the season for me. I am riding the annual Chili Feed 200KM with Seattle International Randonneurs. There are over 90 people signed up. I have never ridden with SIR but I have heard they are very well organized.

I am leaving today and staying a world renowned resort known as the Kent Howard Johnson's. I am hoping to use this as an early season benchmark for my training. I want to finish in less than seven hours. My only 200KM time last year was 9'36" or so, so 7 hours would be quite a difference. I am in much better physical and mental shape for this now, however. I know much more of what to expect on a 124 mile ride.

I will report back upon completion.

Namaste,

Jim

The Ride Up Newberry

Hello,

I finally got out of the garage today. I had an unexpected day off and decided to go on a ride OUTSIDE. The weather was gorgeous, but cold. I added an extra layer of wool and was out right after Emilia went to school. 36 degrees F. according to my bike computer.

I warmed up from my house on Mt. Tabor to the I-84 footbridge at the transit center in Hollywood. From then on I pushed myself as much as felt good. I ended up having a great ride and would have cut quite a bit off my best time for this particular route had I not flatted right after using the men's room at the MAC (where I work). I still did quite well, flat or no flat.

The most difficult stretch of this ride is Newberry, a hill a little over two miles long than runs about 10% grede, with a couple sections that are around 15% grade. After doing this hill I could really feel the effects of the yoga and the time on the trainer in the garage. I finished Newberry and felt fresh, strong even. There are plenty more hills after Newberry, but it is the real test. After feeling so lousy during and after my last garage workout, it was nice to feel so upbeat after something so hard.

The total ride was right at 40 miles, but the climbing is what made it a workout. Forty miles on the flats is not that hard once you have done it a couple times, but throw in 3500 feet of climbing, including a section of 10-15% grade and things start to get a little tough.

After I got home, Caroline and Carrie were out, so I did about twenty minutes of recovery yoga and took a shower. I was hoping that the good weather would satisfy my spring fever, but it has only made it worse. I can't wait for the next nice day that I can get out and ride. I plan on doing a 100 miler. But no Newberry.

Namaste.

Jim

Off Day Yoga

Hello,

I have been focusing on my bicycle training lately so I wanted to focus more on the yoga aspects of my training.

On days when I hit the bike hard, I do a much more gentle, recovery focused yoga practice. On days when I take a break from the hard training on the bike, I do a much more intense yoga practice. I start with downward dog to wake up my Achilles tendons, hamstrings, shoulders and lower back. After a few breaths in child's pose, it's back to down dog, then Uttanasana (forward fold), then up to Tadasana (mountain pose). After a breath or two for alignment checks, I cycle through several Sun Salutations, moving on two breaths in each posture at the beginning, and moving on one breath for the final three or four rounds. After I have done several Sun Salutations, I incorporate a lifted-heel variation of Virabhadrasana I (warrior I) and begin my Hatha Flow practice.

For Hatha Flow, I move between each asana smoothly, with conscious transitions (more on that in my next post), holding each asana for three to five breaths to create muscle memory. From Virabhadrasana I, I move through a Vinyasa series into Virabhadrasana II. After holding one side for three to five breaths, I move through a Vinyasa to the other side. I move through plank, up dog, down dog, Uttanasana, Tadasana and back through Uttanasana, plank, up-dog, down-dog and then back to Virabhadrasana II.

From here, the fun really begins. I end up holding the legs of Virabhadrasana II for several minutes as I cycle through devotional warrior, extended side angle and back to Virabhadrasana II. I transition through a Vinyasa sequence and repeat on the other side of the body. Then I sequence through it again, with a bind in extended side angle pose. This sequence brings life to the entire back side of the body and really taxes the quadriceps muscles. By using the quads so much at this point of the practice, the hamstrings will release more during the next series of asanas.

From here I find myself in Tadasana, take a giant step to the side, and move into Prasarita Padottanasana, or wide legged forward fold. I transition into Prasarita in stages, coming up to flatten my low back on inhales and then deepening the fold on the exhale, holding for a couple of breaths and then coming up slightly on an inhale, then deepening even further on the exhale. Once I have found my fullest expression of Prasarita, I hold for 5-7 breaths. I then come up halfway with a flat back on an inhale and bring the stretch over my right leg (Paravritta Prasarita Padottanasana), putting my sternum over my kneecap and deepening on the exhale. I hold this pose for 3-5 breaths, come up on an inhale, then repeat on the other side. I finish my Prasarita sequence with my deepest Prasarita and hold for 5-7 breaths. I use my hamstrings so much in my job as a chef and in my cycling that I need to spend a lot of yoga time focused on them to get the release I need.

This sequence builds up to Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana, the real highlight of my practice. One legged king pigeon is challenging for anyone with tight hips, and that is almost all cyclists. I hold Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana as a yin pose here, staying on each side for three to five minutes. I cycle through a Vinyasa sequence to keep the prana moving between each side and finish with a Vinyasa sequence, going all the way to the floor after Chaturanga Dandasana.

From lying on my belly on the floor, I move into Salambhasana or locust pose. I add arm extension to the full pose and repeat three to five times with only one breath cycle between asanas. This prepares the forward facing abdominal muscles for Navasana, which comes next. Three to five rounds of Navasana (boat pose), with one breath cycle between each round, leaves me on my back for a mini (10 breath) Savasana.

I move into bridge pose for several cycles, focusing on using my front body muscles, not my glutes, to keep me lifted. After several rounds of bridge, I move on to full wheel for three rounds or so. I like to add leg lifts to my wheel for strength building in the wrists. No counter pose, but I like to rest on the floor with both knees bent for three to five breaths, then I move into seated twists. After doing a nice long Marichyasana II on each side (five to seven breaths), I invert. Either a headstand, several rounds of handstand or simply supported shoulder stand, depending on my mental state at this point in my practice.

I always finish with a supine, knee-down twist, held yin-style (three to five minutes) on each side. Then Savasana for five to eight minutes and ten minutes of meditation.

I find I can do all of this in about 90 minutes.

So there it is, a vigorous, Yoga-Cycle sequence for an off (or recovery ride) day.

Namaste

Jim