Weekend Woes & Goals

Have you ever anxiously awaited an order from the internet... constantly checking the tracking status, and then... the wonderful day comes when it's "Out for Delivery"... and you never know when between that 7:30 am time stamp and the evening it might arrive.  So you're constantly checking the updates to see if it's been delivered.  Friday was like that for me, and thankfully the package arrived around lunch so both the hubby & I were home.

The Omron Full Body Sensor Body Fat and Body Composition Monitor :
This monitor is very easy to setup and use... however the numbers it provided me weren't exactly what I was expecting... let's just say my body fat percentage (the reason I bought the scale in the first place) was waaaayyyyyy higher than expected.  I always thought myself pretty lean... but apparently there's not as much muscle present as I'd thought.  I used to workout (strength training) 3-4 nights / week and played a couple different sports so I know I was leaner then, but I thought... with all the riding I do... it has to make up for the lack of strength training in some way... right?  We'll see.  Some of the reviews I've read say that the numbers are sometime a little off, but at least they are consistent.  So I'll wait for my body analysis and do a measurement on this scale afterward.  The percentage they are off, I'll use that for my calculations going forward.

But that body fat % stuck with me the rest of the day... and into the evening.  While cooking Friday evening the hubby and I received our training plans for the next two weeks... here's what mine looks like:

Sat - Spin 2 hour focus on pyramid intervals
Sun - Outdoor Ride - Heritage Loop
Mon - 6 am Yoga @ Y & Swim 400 yd PM run 3 miles (pub run)
Tues - Off
Wed - Run 4-5 Miles
Thur - Outdoor ride or Trainer Class
Fri - 6 am Yoga @ Y & Swim 400 yds
Sat - 30 mile ride and Run 10 min
Sun - Heritage Park Loop
Mon - Swim 200: 5x50's with 1:00 rest after each 50: 200 cood down & 7 pm KettleBell @ Y
Tues - Interval class 5:45 am & Outdoor Ride
Wed - Swim 600 yds & 7pm KettleBell
Thur - Outdoor Ride or Trainer
Fri - 6 am Yoga
Sat - Spring Training Series Race

Thankfully we have relatively similar plans so we can do much of the above together.  Finished cooking and enjoyed some "Fancy Mac-n-Cheese" (Macaroni with Artisanal Cheese & Chorizo):

It was a great dinner and we headed to bed dreaming of our 2 hour Pyramid Intervals trainer class at Roadwaves the next morning... the last thing I said to the hubby before falling asleep, "xx% body fat!? I've got xx% body fat!?!"

Saturdays Intervals and a team spin class came and went... but come Sunday morning my hamstrings were tight... especially my left one.  I stretched it for about 15-20 minutes and started prepping for the ride.  The sun was shining and the very thought of riding outdoors, no matter how cold it might be, was too much to resist.  The hubby and I had two simple breakfasts about 2 hours apart to make sure we had the right fuel for the ride and headed down to Simpsonville.

There were close to 30 people in our ride group which later split to an A & B group.  First... I can really see the difference the trainer workouts are doing for me.  My usual place in a ride is at the back of the front group, the front of the back group... or no man's land in between the two.  Sunday I found myself able to bridge more easily than ever!  Perhaps after a hill I was dropped back in no man's land and instead of coasting to the rear group... I'd let out a burst of energy and sprint ahead to catch the front group.

Another group would get ahead and I'd be exhausted thinking there's no point in trying to bridge b/c once I get there I'll be exhausted and they'll leave me again.  But that didn't happen.  Mentally I knew I could do it and I'd bridge, realizing once I got there how much easier it was to recover while drafting off the riding in front of me.

As we got about 1 mile from the entrance to Heritage Park my teammate Jackie and I were once again in no man's land.  Larger group ahead and a group behind... so I came around her wheel and said "jump on, we're bridging this!"  I got in the drops, found a cadence I thought I could hold (channeling my inner Jeni) and pulled us up to the group ahead... by the time I got there I had such momentum and could see the entrance so I kept pounding it out, almost catching up to the hubby.

The feeling of satisfaction after that ride... wow!  I saw some real changes in my riding and can't wait to continue the hard work!

The beginning of something new...

I ride my bike... am I a cyclist? I'm on a team... we're sponsored... we train... we race... but am I a cyclist?  Initially my response would be Yes.  Definitely. Am I a Serious Cyclist? An Avid Cyclist?

Some background - I grew up playing sports: softball, basketball, volleyball, martial arts.  In college I played D-1 basketball, intramural volleyball, indoor soccer, softball, and flag-football.There was always a goal in mind... win the tournament. make the playoffs. win a sparring match. achieve my next belt. make 1st team all district. win county. win sub-regionals. win regionals. And a plan to reach that goal always came with it... and surrounded by my team we worked toward our goals.

In my twenties I focused on volleyball & tennis.  practices leads to season wins leads to tournament appearances and possible wins. That was the plan, no biggie.  Just have fun with it.

So back to cycling.  Last year was my first year of cycling and I was fortunate to be on a sponsored team.  I did my best to train when I had a chance given my work schedule and it was good.  But it could have been better.  My non-cycling friends thought I was crazy all the time and effort I put into it... But compared to my cycling friends, it was nothing...

I think this qualifies me as a cyclist... but what about the next level? In November my cycling team hosted a workshop for endurance athletes.  The first part of this workshop was about goals.  Jim Cunningham (Greenville Cycling Center) explained to us the importance of setting goals in many levels.  So I did - Place in a Cat 4 Women's Road Race, Place in the top ten of the Women's Cat 4 SC RR Championships, Complete my first Triathlon, Complete my first half-marathon.  So there are the goals, but how whill I get there?

It is with this in mind that I begin the new year and have decided to start something new: a plan (a REAL plan) to achieve my goals. I will be working with a friend who is starting a new training business to manage my workouts, nutrition, and overall health.  I will work on my body composition, core, flexibility, caloric intake, miles in the saddle, speed drills, strength trng, swim stroke, runs, all with intention of reaching my goals - the most important of which are my cycling goals. <-- Gotta win some races and keep those sponsors happy right?!

I'll be posting updates to the plan here... for your perusing pleasure... looking for ways to stay motivated! Especially as work and life get in the way!

Before I let you go... I gotta promote my latest cycling gift from the hubby:

To go with my super cool GHS Every Woman Team kit... I have a shiny new Pink Castelli Riding Cap... sporting some Italian flag ribbon... It is definitely too cool for school.  You might even catch me wearing it while typing away on this blog...

cheers!

Projects & Mowbray Mtn...

I have a love hate relationship with my project... and Mowbray Mtn. The first sometimes affects the latter...

1 - This project is both a godsend and hell on earth at times. I love 90% of the people I work with... really. I've made some amazing friends and great business contacts over the past year. That being said, the 10% of whom I can not stand... make the most noise and sometimes make me want to pull my hair out. Which leads to a difficult decision. I have the opportunity to leave this project and join another one where I would have more of a managerial role. A bit of a quandry and the pros & cons with either decision are:

Current Project -
Pro - Those 90%
Con - Those 10%
Pro - I can bring my kicka$$ new Madone 5.5 w/ SRAM Force every week w/ the hope to ride w/ the local bike club
Con - Most of the time my beautiful new bike just sits in the hotel room b/c of the work day never ending
Pro - 4 hours driving distance from home meaning I can change my schedule rather easily to be here early or go home early...
Con - Atlanta Monday morning & Thur evening traffic
Pro - Hotel is awesome and right next to a great gym
Con - Losing airline status/miles
Pro - Relatively easy role
Con - Too easy role
Pro - Met some great locals who I ride and hang out with
Con - Ever changing scope
Pro - Get to see how my company & this customer shutdown a project
Con - Project may never end
Pro - Customer really likes me and mentioned they'll pay extra to keep me
Con - Working weekends / Can't ever make weekend plans w/ hubby & friends (&)
Con - Constantly packing for multiple weeks b/c never know if I'll have to work the weekend

New Project:
Pro - Mgmt Role
Con - On the Left Coast
Pro - San Diego rocks!
Con - Flying to CA every week
Pro - Great riding
Con - Can't ride my new Madone
Pro - Can ship my old Madone 4.5 there (hence why I bought the new Madone)
Con - Thursday night red-eyes
Pro - More miles and better airline status
Con - More hours clocked in a plane
Pro - Can sleep while on a flight... can't do that currently while driving...
Con - One less night at home w/ the hubby
Pro - New Client
Con - New Client could be as difficult as current one
Pro - Project is from the new group I belong to at work
Con - Could be short-term and then have me on the bench
Pro - Could be long-term and a real career booster
Con - Unknown regarding the folks I'll be working with
Pro - More consistent than current project
Pro - My manager's manager's manager had me in mind to go to this project

Okay... lots of pros and cons... and they aren't exactly one for one... I'm leaning toward staying... but really torn...

2 - Mowbray Mtn... when I do get away from work at a reasonable hour on Tuesdays... I join the local bike club for a 34 mile jaunt... through some rollers and up to... Mowbray Mtn. A 3 mile 6-7% grade climb that at 8 or 9 am would be perfectly fine... but by the time I'm at the base of the climb... which is normally 6:45 pm... I might feel like a million bucks... or I might want to just go to bed... The last two weeks... it's been the latter. But... when asked the question, "You climbing tonight?" Is there any other answer other than, "of course..."??? If someone asks you, you have to do it... right? Only if you avoid the question can you get out of it with some slight hint of dignity... Mowbray Mtn wouldn't be such a bear if it weren't 1 - the steepest at the very beginning and 3/4 the way in... 2 - After a full 10 hour day at work... 3 - In an environment that is humid as hell... alas... It's a good climb... would probably be considered a Cat1 or 2... Not nearly as long as climbs like Caesar's Head, but definitely steeper... and rather depressing when I'm passed by Cat 1-3 riders who blast past me going double my speed... but... at least there are those who pass me at the beginning, whom I catch up to and pass at the end b/c I saved some energy... now that is a wonderful feeling!

Anyway... this note has been rather informational in nature and not a lot of prose to it... I'll work harder next time... towards the end of the work week my brain tends to just blurt out information rather than think in full sentences! Maybe this weekend after rest, hubby & puppy time, a few rides, and perhaps a trip to see the new Harry Potter... I'll be ready for the real world again...