Only 26wks till my first peak!!!

Only 26wks till my first cat A race!!!! better rouse myself from my winter hibernation and get my skates on....[sarcastic smiley].

Well its been a manic week or two.

Two exams, a 24hr puking bug and filing my college applications. When you combine that with -20c temps and wind chills, cycling has taken somewhat of a back seat.

Not to be unperturbed I finally dragged my sorry ass onto my trainer for a sweat fest the last couple of days. I am not a huge fan of trainers, everything seems harder on there. What i can do without barely noticing on the road seems like torture indoors, but I've set myself up with a little space in which to train exposed to the elements (the windows open) and fulling rigged with the best surround sound dts 2.0 home theatre $30 and a lap-top can buy you.

Which is still an improvement on before, but even with all the windows open and a wall of exterior -17c temps less than 12" from my side, i still ended up with a puddle of sweat beneath my bike after a 50min workout.cause there is so much text today, I thought I better add a random image of a girl
with wheels worth more than her life is (governmentally speaking of course) , to break things up....

Anyway for me at least the answer to getting through those sessions is variety and purpose.

here's a breakdown of my session.

5mins easy spin @ 95 rpm
5mins easy spin @ 100 rpm
5mins easy spin @ 105 rpm
5mins easy spin @ whatever feels relaxed.

then a set of sweet spot (88%ftp-92%ftp) pyramid intervals @ :

1min on
1min off
1min30secs on
1min off
2min on
1min off
2min30secs on
1min off
3min on
1min off

then work your way back down again to 1min on.

5mins cool down.

all wrapped up in 50mins and an episode of Dexter.

here`s the file :

Basically I'm working my way very slowly toward my bread and butter intervals of 3x20@ftp so I can be in some kind of shape before the roads open up and I can get back to some proper training again.

Although i`d like to be in shape for the first couple of races in April, they`re not really important in the greater scheme of things so I'm taking things pretty slowly.

Ok whateva...I'm hoping to get away to BC for ski trip with a little Dakini soon. I'll keep you posted.

Executive relief: lite beer + HID's

I should probably get my head round it given my geographical location. But I really struggle to sit on a trainer indoors when winter clamps down on the southern Ontario roads. However with my New CX bike come new opportunities for adventure.

Its been a stressful week, I got a notice that I had my final chemistry exam on Wednesday this week just 5 days ago. Apparently the letter sent in Dec. last year never arrived. What ever, so I've been knuckling down trying to cram it all in. But I'm not the greatest scholar in the world so I find it somewhat vexing sitting over my books all day.

So tonight after I finished the unit i had to get through I felt a little executive relief was in order, so a quick trip to the Beer store and a few Coors lite later I decided a late night CX ride down by the lake would be an awesome way to get some miles in and burn off that latent angst I've been feeling.

And I was So right!

All the compact snow on the board walk and foot trails made for a great, speedy ride... I guess the beer gave me a little Dutch courage to make the most of things and hairing through the night lit up with my HID light system was truly magical.

It didn't hurt that I burnt off those extra empty calories as well....

Beats freezing your ass off on the road or sweating yer nads off indoors....

Happy days!

Riding through a winter wonderland!

Well with 6" of light fluffy snow riding on the roads can be a little harrowing, luckily for me though a short trip across the road lets me play to my hearts a delight in local park.

Another reason to love my CX bike, although its admittedly in need of a little TLC after a hard seasons racing. But the chance to rip some line across the new powder was too great to resist.

Even if it was a little hairy at time on the descents having no brakes, a combination of ice and pads worn nearly to the metal shoes! Its a time like that you just have to let you and your bike go with the flow and hope you don't inadvertently run over a few small kids tobogganing down the banks at the same time.

Anyway a 40 minute ride burnt about 600cals and went a long way to working of the stress of the last few days revising.

I love snow and i love My CX bike! They both help me regress to a childlike state as I slip and slide over snow banks, round trees and the dog park. Much to the bemusment of the average folk looking on as you try to crawl up a hard pack slope...

....

Revising for my Chemistry exam and losing Christmas weight don't go well together. The Urge for comfort food and treats can get a bit much. But if I can get through this next (hardest) unit today I'm going to take my self off tonight to unwind....

On the positive there is a carpet of fresh snow outside and I finally cleared my desk so I can work.

ahhhhhhhh.

In other news the new team Castelli skin suits are in and lighter and faster than ever, although the oestrogen build up from all that testosterone I've been taking is playing havoc with my bitch tits....

happy days!

Stage one complete, stage two initiated

Well after almost a year of waiting and a phone call to the government, they have officially processed my application for Canadian Citizenship....now I just have to wait to get the call for my exam some time in the next few months...then wait a little longer and I'll be an official canuck!!!

On the training front my legs feel like crap still from Mondays run. I decided today I really don't like running I'm starting to get a little ancy about not riding enough.

Probably a good thing....next year is going to be a long one...

Its all relative [even that statement]

I went for a short run yesterday....I imagine old age to feel a lot like i do today....good to be getting some geriatric intervals in now whilst I'm still fit?

Been busy running round trying to get things together to apply for collage in the next few weeks, as well as doctors/dentists/driving licence and revise for my exam. So as part of this wondrous process a trip to the far side if Toronto was on order.

There was a dusting of snow this morning. nothing serious, but it would probably shut down the UK for a week or so.

I was a little concerned about the how the cycle path would be along lake shore and the Humber valley. On the whole it wasn't too bad, but the photo above shows that here in Canada when it gets icy it really gets icy.

I was bitching about the roads in the UK, this Christmas. this was a little more challenging to get across, but with light fading and blood sugar dropping I made it across a stretch of about 200m.

But dieting and riding seldom go hand in hand. With about 10km to go I started to get hungry, about 6km to go I felt my blood sugar starting to drop, by the time I got home I could barely walk up the stairs....I hate that feeling, happens all to often.

The cold sits deep in your bones and takes hours to go away, I laid in bed with a hot water bottle and a Dakini helping me warm up.

I definitely recommend having one of each on hand for such times if you can afford it!

2011: .....

A dark and pensive start to the year

A New year...again.

things i'm thinking about...

How come in the UK it snows 3" but the aftermath of ice and crap stays for nearly two weeks???
but in Canada it'll snow 6" and the roads will be clear within a couple of days???

Yesterday here in Toronto it was raining, every where was wet, the temp was 8c. I woke up this morning it was -3c but the roads were dry with barely a sign of ice anywhere!!! who the feck does it dry in conditions like that?

osmosis???

Anyway i was only wondering....

On other fronts Its time to work off that Xmas gluttony (though I didn't do too bad this year).

I gotta revise for my final chemistry exam and apply for collage.... I hate that kind of stuff.

Along with another whole list of random shizel thats filling my new cork board (gotta get organized right?) thats includes clearing out my facebook friends list.

if for by chance you one of those people that also reads my blog, don't take it personally i'm only making space for my aging desperation to spread out... its nothing personal.

I might even finally get round to trying out my new running shoes, as i get the year going with a structure of Side planks, sit ups and stretches...



Just don't get me going on the Buddhists.......I'm not angry I'm just disappointed [for what probably will not be the last time]

thats doesn't include you though Karen...i'm only disappointed i didn't get to see you when i was home.