Todays Riding Conditions

What Happens Next

So I was unable to get an entry into the Granfondo in July here in Penticton, I could still enter but i am not that interested in paying $200 for something that i could do for free, so at the moment, that looks like it is on the backburner. I will still aim to ride 160 km that day like i had planned, just not in a big bunch like that at the Granfondo.

The next two months are the most important of the year for me, they are the lead up to my summer in Canada. They can either make or break my year. These two months are very important as they are Base Phase 2 and 3 which is all about building my aerobic endurance for me to be able to ride longer and faster at the same intensity. I am really hoping to improve on my Base Phase 1 which i only trained 16 hours out of the planned 34 hours which is less then half of the required training time.

I have two weeks left before i leave for Australia, where the weather is warmer at this time of year. I will hopefully have a bike that i can train on while there which will be great. If i am unable to find a job while there for the 5 weeks, i will have nothing but time to just ride and enjoy the warmth (well warmer then here, it's currently snowing here in Penticton). I arrive in Australia right in the middle of my biggest week in Base Phase 2 in which i require 11 hours of training time, this could put a dent in my training. I figure that i will be out of commission for at least 3 or 4 days (I lose one day in the time zone change, one day for travel and probably one or two days to get use to time zone change). My arrival back to Canada is right in the middle of a rest week which is perfect timing, i only need 5 and a half hours that week.

Well stay tuned, hopefully in two months time you'll be reading about how well my time was spent in Australia and that i am fitter then i have ever been. That's what this is all about, to make sure my health is improved due to my high blood pressure condition and to give 110% to see how far i can push my body to be the best athlete i can be.

2012 is going to be a great year!

Base Phase 1 Review

So the year is flying by with a review of base phase 1 already, it only feels like a few days ago that i was talking about working hard in my prep phase. Well, Base Phase 1 is nearly done with, just the rest week this week coming up, then Base Phase 2 will start.
Basically, BP1 started quite slowly with the weather being cold and work, i wasn't able to get out for as many hours as i would have liked.
Week 1- I completed 4 hours and 12 minutes.
Week 2- 7 hours and 47 minutes
Week 3- 5 hours and 11 minutes.

Week 1 was a little slow but things started picking up with week 2 and 3. Almost 8 hours on week 2 was a pretty good week of training including a race on Sunday at the Peachland 5km February Freezeup. At the race i personal best my time for 5km with a time in the 24minute range. I was feeling fairly happy with myself and wanted to keep the momentum going. Looking back, i should have had a day or two off after the race to let the body recover.

Week 3 started out well after the race with a few good long rides with a total of 5 hours of riding in two days. The week was looking like it was going to be one, well in the excess of 10 hours but nope, my body said no. Had i taken a day or two off after the race, maybe i could have allowed my bodies immune system to be a little stronger to fight off a cold that i ended up getting. So Week 3 ended up being only two days long with the rest of the week being spent laying in bed.

Week 4 has started off as the previous week finished but at least earlier today i was able to get out for a walk. Hopefully by the end of the week i can start getting out for a run or two which will allow me to start Next week, Base Phase 2, with a BANG and get in a good solid week. There will be no testing at the end of this week which i had actually planned for the end of the week but i will cautiously avoid the testing because of the cold and finish the week with basic aerobic work. Instead i will use the race from end of week 2 as a benchmark for future fitness especially the 5km run.

Lost Moose Lodge

Took a ride up to the Lost Moose Lodge situated above Penticton. The road from Penticton heads in a vertical direction and just seems to keep on going all the way to the Lodge. I rode this knowing that it was going to be a solid ride and boy, i was not proven wrong. For 8km the road just seems to climb at an average grade of 8% which totals around 2050 ft of climbing. Today this took me roughly 1 and a half hours.
The way down is a lot quicker only taking me 15 minutes which is kind of lucky because my fingers were frozen by the time i got half way down the mountain.
This has been my biggest climb to date (626 metres/ 2050ft). I stopped a few times taking photos so no doubt in the future, i shall surpass the time i did today with a much better time. The mountain bike was the choice for today and it was probably the wise decision because the lower gear ratios allowed me to spin up the mountain rather then grind my way up the mountain like i would have on the road bike.

Strava - Looking for the Moose

Week 5

First week of Base Phase 1. 
I have been pretty consistent with getting out for a ride or run over the last month which has been great but my amount of time training has been lacking. According to my training plan, i was supposed to complete at least 7 hours a week during the Preparation phase but only managed to complete 4-5 hours per week. My first week of Base Phase 1 was meant to have 8 hours of training but only completed 4. I am not totally happy with this.
This is how my week went. I had Monday and Friday off.
Tuesday i spent 40 Minutes on the indoor trainer where i did a 4km time trial at LT. Wednesday i went for a 6.28km run. Thirsday was my best day with a ride and a run, while the weekend i did a couple of runs with some hill work on the Sunday.




This weeks plan is to complete 9 and a half hours which is a big step up from what i have been doing. Going to give it a try but at this time of year, i'm finding it hard to get the hours in. I might have to look at my training plan and do some reconsideration of how the hours look if i don't get anywhere near what the plan calls for.

January Review

So January has come to a close already for 2012, Wow that was quick. For the Month of January, It was primarily Preparation Phase, which is all about getting the body ready for the upcoming year. I think i was heading in the right direction and will hopefully benefit from the work i have put in so far. The major thing for me to achieve was consistency which during Cold winter months is very hard to do. As you can see from below, i completed 29 total workouts in 31 days.

January Statistics
262 km Total
Run: 43.38 km (11 workouts) 5hr 14m
Spinning: 69.96 km (4 workouts) 3hr 33m
Cycling: 120km (6 workouts) 7 hr 16m
Hiking: 6.98km (2 workouts) 3hr 19m
Walking: 21.37km (6 workouts) 5hr 3m

Total Workouts: 29
Days Off: 8
Total Time: 24 hours 26 minutes

Cycling Total Ascension: 732 metres

Penticton, BC
Coldest Day of Month: 18th Jan - Max Temp: -13.4c, Min Temp: -16.1c, 6cm snow
Warmest Day: 5th Jan - Max Temp- 9.3c, Min Temp: -1.4c
Windiest Day: 24th Jan - Max Gust - 85km/h
Snow Amount: 24cm for the month

29th January 2012 - Bike Ride, Okanagan Falls, B.C, Canada

2012 Training Plan

Clif Bars

A few days ago i purchased some more Clif Bars from London Drugs when they were on sale (below). As of yet, i haven't had a chance to try them out on the bike but today, i did try them during a run. I felt a little hungry during a run and stopped home for a Clif Bar (Peanut Butter) and it agreed with me. It settled the stomach which allowed me to continue on and run a little further. When the weather warms up a bit more, hopefully i'll get to test them on the bike. I did try the Lara Bars on the bike and they went well so i don't see the Clif Bars upsetting my stomach.

28 Days Later...

So my training for the last 4 weeks has looked great. I have covered 292 kilometres for a total of 23 hours which is exactly where i wanted to get my monthly total up to.



If you remember from December 11th, 2011, i wrote,  

"Looking at my stats there is plenty room for improvement as i think i could get my 4 week hourly total up to 20-30 hours averaging 1 hour a night, 5 nights a week."

Since i wrote that, i have planned out a Training plan for the year and with the guesstimated hours for the year, i should easily get the 20-30 hours a month, if i stick to the plan. The plan has come from....

 

Currently i am in the Preparation Phase which is preparing my body for the year to come. The workouts in this phase are low in intensity with the majority being aerobic endurance workouts and usually in the form of cross-training, such as running or skiing. The total volume of this phase is fairly low compared to other times in the year. For 2012, i have 4 weeks of Prep Phase then i move onto Base phase 1 on the 30th January. Base 2 will start 27th of February, hopefully just in time for the weather to start warming up a little in March.

2012

So over the last few days, i have been working on the plan of attack for the new year. I think i am ready to get faster and faster. This is the first time i have ever sat down to work out a annual training plan and i have come to realise that my training has been fairly lacking. Consistency is my big issue with not enough consistent hard work to build up my fitness.

Since April of 2011 when i first decided to start up my fitness again after having Hernia Surgery in December 2010, i have recorded approximately 1600-1800 kilometres running, walking and cycling which works out to be around 130 hours of training time. This is just a rough estimate as i switched tracking programs and do not have an exact record. This is definitely a good start and a good building block for the new year.

For this year, i figured that with discipline and hard work, i could get close to 400 hours. I won't be disappointed if i don't hit my target because i know this is a fair amount of work each week to get my goal but i think its a target thats well within reach if i put my head down.
I have also set myself some other goals this year which are,

• Average 30 km/h over a 40km distance by the end of year
• To Complete a Century (160 km, 6-7 hours)
• To cover 5000 km in the year (100 km a week)

2012 Cycling Events

Currently i am working on building a list of 2012 cycling events for the Penticton Area (within 2 hour drive). There are a few events that i am interested in competing in, so over the next few weeks i will start to plan my season accordingly to best prepare myself for them.
You can see the list here http://bit.ly/tTAtX8 and there is also a link to download the PDF version which i also created.

2012 Races

So looking at the running races of 2012 and i have found 10 that interest me. I feel that i could target 4 or 5 of these depending on how my fitness is going and if it is going even better then expected, there might be a triathlon or two that i might race.

1 Jan
Polar Bear Run 2k & 5K, Polar Bear Swim, Peachland

12 Feb
Freeze Up 5K, Peachland

04 Mar
IRA #2 – TIMEX #6 LAKESIDE 5K - Penticton

15 Apr
IRA #5 – WINE CAPITAL 10 K – Oliver

22 Apr
Spring 10K & Half Marathon – Peachland

13 May
IRA #6 – BLOSSOM 10 MILER - Penticton

20 May
Peach City Half Marathon & 10K - Penticton

03 Jun
Giants Head Run 5.4k, 10k, Summerland

01 Jul
Canada Day Beach Run 5 & 10 K - Peachland

09 Oct
Okanagan International Marathon - Kelowna

http://www.interiorrunning.ca/Other/2012_events.pdf

Training

So starting to look at my training lately and it has been improving. I've been getting out and running a bit more consistently. The Photo below shows my last 4 weeks where i have covered 84 kms with most of that being running. I did put in one big bike ride with 13 other total workouts. A total of 8 hours doesn't seem much but my runs have been around 20-30 minutes.

Looking at my stats there is plenty room for improvement as i think i could get my 4 week hourly total up to 20-30 hours averaging 1 hour a night, 5 nights a week. My big thing is, i need to take the indoor trainer seriously and do some intervals. I will work my way up to 20 x 3 at 80% of MHR.

Penticton to Peachland

With my first summer riding with the PACA group coming to a close, I'd like to say it's been a wonderful summer. Being new here, I've ridden some new and exciting roads and I hope that none of you take it for granted the amazing biking opportunities everyone living here has. Hopefully I stay motivated over the winter to keep fit and my second summer riding with you guys will be just as good and hopefully even better.
Another great ride today even considering the weather. It was cooler then what we have been use to since July and the three of us, Colleen, Anna and I, set off at 8.35 am due to me, living the closest yet still being late. I'll get there on time one day I promise.
Anna is quite clever and knew to save weight on todays ride so she left her drink bottles at home. This gave her the advantage on the hills today.
The ride from Penticton to Peachland is always beautiful as you ride the road closest to the lake and get an amazing view especially when you get past Summerland and you get a bit of an elevated view over the lake. The majority of the route from Summerland to Peachland is downhill and always feels quite fast.
We made Peachland in good time and having planned this ride myself, I knew the Peachland Farmers Market was on and I had timed it perfectly for us to arrive at the market just as it was starting. (I had no idea and totally forgot about the Sunday market). Having planned it so well, I also knew that this was the last market of the year for Peachland and today would be a good day to ride there. We enjoyed some of what the Okanagan had to offer us, with taste testing of some cherry and apple juices and some dehydrated pineapple. After we had enjoyed a nice walk around the market, we cruised along Beach ave down to Bliss Bakery for a stop where we had some scones and a couple of coffees. Having enjoyed the first two hours of the ride, things were going to get serious with a definite head wind disadvantage on the way home. Add in the hills that take you from Peachland to Summerland, the way home was tough. First though we had one more stop. Hardy Falls. We didn't actually go see the water fall but we did see the Salmon that are trying to make there way up the creek. I've never seen salmon do this, so this was a real treat.
From here on back home, we had a lot of pace line practice with lots of sharing the front with the wind blowing into us hard. With a slight diversion through Summerland and one more stop for a photo opportunity, the ride home into the wind added a good 30 minutes onto our ride time at least.
As the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler, the riding will become less frequent, so I'll be looking at other ways to keep my fitness up over the winter. Hiking will start to be part of my plans as it becomes too cold to ride. There are a few good hikes around which I want to do this year.
Stay fit and healthy!
Cheers

The 10 Commandments of Training

1) Train Moderately
2) Train Consistently
3) Get Adequate Rest
4) Train With A Plan
5) Train With Groups Infrequently
6) Plan To Peak
7) Improve Weaknesses
8) Trust Your Training
9) Listen to Your Body
10) Commit to Goals

Peachland Beach Run

Results for the Beach Run on July 1st.

77th out of 206 runners for the 5km

37th Male out of 71 men

6th out of 7 Males in my age group

9.05 kilometre average split

27m 39 sec overall time

http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2011/run/PeachBeach2011OA5K.html

How to make a homemade sports drink

This was sent to me by a Nutritionist regarding sports drinks. This was in regards to long distance events.

The primary function of a hydrating beverage is to preserve and retain water in the body. There is strong evidence that a cold, flavored sport drink of suitable composition encourages drinking making it a highly effective way to prevent dehydration.. Homemade sports drinks, if mixed properly, can provide the same benefits as the commercial versions. However, it can be difficult to replicate your favorite store bought varieties.

You must include the proper concentration of the carbohydrate as well as sufficient sodium to actively work with the carbohydrate to provide quick re-hydration.

Considering this, it is imperative that the ingredients are measured accurately as not to hinder rather than heighten performance.

The carbohydrate concentration should be in the range of 4-8 percent. That is 40g-80g carbohydrate per liter of water. A concentration of over 8 percent will interfere with re-hydration.

Sodium levels should range from 20-30mmol, that is 1g-2g of table salt per liter of water.

Any flavor added should not take away from the carbohydrate level of 8 percent.

Adding 3 Tbsp of corn syrup to a 750 ml bottle of water is a great way to re-hydrate your body. Also, try one of these great recipes for an effective sports drink at home for little cost.

Recipe #1

500ml fruit juice drink (not pure juice) e.g., Blackcurrant juice drink, Fruit blast, Five alive
500ml water
1/3 tsp salt

Recipe #2

1/2 cup orange juice
9 tsp sugar
3/8 tsp salt
2 liters water

Recipe #3

1 caffeine free lemon tea bag
16 oz water
2 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 Tbsp orange juice

Bring water to a boil. Steep lemon tea bag. Dissolve sugar and salt in the tea and let stand. Add orange juice and chill.

Recipe #4

4 Tbsp sugar
tsp salt
cup boiling water
cup orange juice or 2 Tbsp lemon juice
3- cup cold water

In a pitcher dissolve sugar and salt in hot water. Add juice and remaining water. Chill.