Holiday weekend

As we are going into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, one of the very few long weekends in the US, the weather has turned nasty. Last weeks started with record high temperatures, often reaching in the low eighties (25-27C), and ended with low fifties (12-13C) and rain. Now the rain is gone but we are suffering from record cold. Last night, San Francisco dipped into the low forties, a phenomenon not seen since 1906 (41F/5C is the record for this day in history).

America's Harvest Festival

The appearances are deceptive. The rains have turned the hills green and since most trees around here are evergreens it looks like spring. Yesterday the sun came out and when you are standing in it, it feels very warm indeed. Yet the air temperature is very low. This morning Berkeley was at 1C/33F and sunny. Looking outside you'd guess it was summertime. The sun is out, the sky is hard blue, but the air is icy cold. So different from last year.

This is very tricky weather for cycling. You need several layers to protect yourself from the cold, but then when you ride uphill in the sun, you sweat buckets unless you remove all of it. As soon as you reach the top of the hill, and especially when you go into a shaded and wind-protected canyon like Redwood, you can't have enough layers to stay warm. It can get so cold at the bottom of Redwood that there is ice on the road at midday. That too has caught many cyclists off guard with disastrous consequences.

Speaking of disasters, two days ago Alistair crashed the new Parlee that I just built, and it suffered a major blow to the top tube. I had to take it into the store to check it out. We tapped on it and it appears the carbon was damaged. Bad news and an expensive repair bill no doubt.

Have a great holiday. A lot to be thankful for.

Three's a charm

Twice I dressed up for riding on Saturday. Twice I opened the garage door to let my bike out and twice it started raining right then and there. But the third time was a charm. I left the house around 2:00 and rode for 2:30 hours. No rain. It felt really good.

Today I drove Alistair to the Early Bird Criterium in Fremont. There was rain in the forecast and it did rain a bit, but not much. Finally around 2:00 the sky cleared a bit and although it was still cloudy, everything looked fine for a run. I got dressed and ran 10.5 miles, from Ardenwood Circle to Coyote Hills park and then the final 2 miles of the Alameda Creek trail until it hits the Bay.

Going out felt great because there was a mild tail wind and I felt warm and happy. Coming back was a bit more challenging as the wind was now a headwind and it felt quite cold. Nevertheless I was able to time it so I arrived just as the Pro-1-2-3 ended and we could leave.

So far it has remained dry even though there was rain in the forecast. We will see what tonight and tomorrow brings. If all goes well we will stay dry but I am not holding my breath. It seems we are in the middle of a series of rain storms brought about by a minor El Nino event in the Pacific. If so, that could well mean a very wet winter and spring.

Volume

In the true spirit of winter training I am adding volume at moderate intensity. That does not mean I am dabbling or riding slow. But I am not sprinting or doing intervals either. I am just adding the hours (or miles).

Two weeks ago, I rode 10.75 hours. Last week I did 11.25 and this week I added 13.5. That is a total of 35.5 hours on the bike, or a 600 mile equivalent.

I say equivalent because I did not ride all those miles on the road. Some of it I did on my mountain bike, where the average speed is lower, and some of it I did on rollers, where speed is arbitrary.

During the past week I did the following workouts:

-On Monday I rode 30 miles on the road.

-On Tuesday I rode 20 mile on my mountain bike, including some serious climbs

-On Wednesday I ran for 7.25 miles

-On Thursday, 23 miles on the mountain bike, through Redwood Park

-On Friday, rollers for 1:18:00 burning a total of 1,225 calories.

-Saturday, 4 hour ride with Team Specialized Juniors, for a total of 71 miles in Napa Valley

-Today, 2.2 hour ride, 34 miles through Orinda and Moraga and over Pinehurst

Thanksgiving week

Today marks the end of the Thanksgiving week vacation. The kids were off from school all week and Barbara took three days off. The weather was gorgeous except for Friday, when it rained and was overcast pretty much the whole day.

I got a lot of riding in this week, despite being quite busy at work. On Tuesday I rode 23 miles with Alistair. On Wednesday we rode the South Loop of the Grizzly century, or 42 miles into Castro Valley. On Thanksgiving day, we rode with the California Pedaler group in Danville, a very fast 2:30 ride along the flats. The distance, including riding to and from the event was 56 miles.

Friday I decided to stay indoors and ride an easy 1:10 minutes on rollers. I burned 800 calories total. The first hour I averaged 180W and burned almost 700 calories.

Yesterday I rode the "fruitstand" ride in a near-continuous headwind. It was very gusty and at times extremely hard, even though it was sunny and the temperature was very nice. At one point between San Ramon and Danville, I was trapped in a whirlwind of yellow leaves that created a surreal scene. There was debris everywhere and I had to ride on the road most of the way. Then on Grizzly, very near to Marlborough I almost got blown off my bike. Overall 58 miles and very hard. I was thrashed.

Today I built my 7th bike (an Orbea Diva for my friend Barbara) and I ran a 10K in the hills. It was quite warm today and I was able to run just wearing a one-piece trisuit.

Ironman won't die

Just as I made up my mind not to compete in Ironman again, I received an email from the BAF indicating they had secured 10 slots for the 2010 Ironman Lake Placid. The email also asked about what hotel I would prefer to stay at. So much for that...

And here is another Ironman tidbit. I just downloaded the power file from Canada and it confirmed my suspicions regarding not eating enough. One can clearly see how my power drops as the race goes on. With a very slight uptick some 10-15 minutes after the 120 KM mark, where special needs was located. There I grabbed a bagel and drank a Red Bull, and shortly afterwards I noticed how easy the climb to Yellow Lake was. I was cruising at a fairly good clip for about half an hour or so, and then the power and speed drop returned in force.

I remember how sluggish I felt once I crested the first climb and had to ride to Twin Lakes. Then further declines as I rode along Skaha and into Penticton. There were no more aid stations along the way, and I was running really low on energy.

I was looking at some endurance cycling events and the 12/24 hours at Davis (in May) looked really appealing. Something I ought to try. The 24 hours is a RAAM qualifier to boot. The only drawback here is that one needs a crew, and the entry fee for RAAM is a pretty hefty expense too. Not that I feel ready for RAAM, mind you. Maybe RAW, a 1,000 miles-- if I felt really brave. But RAAM is a bit too much for now.

Today I rode 40 miles in the hills. Good speed too.

Back on the bike

Well, it took almost two weeks to get my bike back from Lake Placid. Furthermore, for some unknown reason -and despite a major overhaul at Placid- the stem and handlebars are creaking like crazy again.

On Friday I rode 30 miles to the top of Redwood and back. I felt pretty tired but OK. On Saturday I rode 90 miles to Livermore and that really got me wasted, but yesterday I managed to ride 40 and feel pretty good. Maybe I need more miles. Anyhow, I decided to take it easy today and swim for about an hour. Unlike other times, I did not swim continuously but instead focused on technique.

I am getting the hang of swimming while breathing every other stroke. As for left breathing, that still needs a lot work and I can't seem to get it right.

Alistair did his first race in Belgium on Sunday and although he got dropped and pulled at 9 laps out of 12, some friends said he did pretty well considering the circumstances. The field was 114 riders. I don't think he has ever ridden in a field like that before. Furthermore, they had to deal with a rather nasty 750 m cobblestone section -another first for him. I have ridden these Belgian cobbles and I can tell you, it ain't fun.

I couldn't resist the nice weather and so I ran a 10K in the hills. Feel fine. Lovely out there!

Serious cycling

Saturday we rode over to Diablo, the North Entrance in Walnut Creek. Unfortunately there is no real nice way to get there from here. We had to ride for several blocks on Ignacio Valley Rd. a thoroughfare to redneck country. It was obvious that the people there did not appreciate our presence on "their highway." One truck driving guy, obviously disturbed by cyclists on the road, stuck his head out and yelled, "Get the f@$#k of the road." Of course we didn't. What were we supposed to do? We pay taxes too.

If the city of Walnut Creek had any environmental concern whatsoever, they would turn one of those three lanes into a wide bike lane. Instead they post little signs reading, "Cyclists Ok to use sidewalk." Why would I ride on a sidewalk?

We rode halfway up Diablo to the junction, Alistair flying like a banshee, and I following up in the rear -I did catch a few guys though- using no smaller than a 39/19. Turned out both large cogs (21-23) were sufficiently worn I could not ride them. While Bernard Hinault believes you can climb trees with a 39/19, I beg to differ. But I did make it up there in reasonable time.

We went down the South Side, where you only have to ride a brief section on unfriendly terrain -this time overly rich folks from Blackhawk whizzing by in their Porsches- and from there to home. 66 miles of riding, 4 hours.

On Sunday I was pretty tired so I swam 162 laps instead. Alistair went on a two hour ride.

Today, I went down memory lane, joining the LLL Cyclotrons on their Monday ride. The Monday ride leaves at the "the Lab" and goes over Altamont to Midway and then back over Patterson Pass. Once again, Alistair flew over Patterson, leaving everyone behind, while I contented myself riding with Ken in the B group. Patterson on a 39/19 was no fun either. It was great nonetheless and I beat everyone over Midway. That made me feel good.

Stroke? Try muscle

Another image to make the same point: what counts in swimming is muscle. Take a look at those deltoids. Michael Phelps in the pool.

Today I rode 56 miles at an average speed of 16.8, which is not bad given all the hills. I got a flat in Alamo, but fortunately there was a bike store nearby. I was a bit shocked at having to pay $5.40 for a tube, but the store people were quite nice and they helped me change my tire.

Yesterday I rode 20 miles on my mountain bike, essentially the redwood loop except that I went straight back on the West trail instead of making the extra loop that follows Redwood Rd. I was a bit pressed for time so I had to make concessions. The straight trail however, makes up for lost distance by inserting a lot more climbing.

On Wednesday, I came home early from the Neurotech meeting and took the kids to the pool. I ran 8.5 miles on the treadmill while they swam. On Tuesday I swam 164 laps or 3,000 meters. On Monday I took a rest day.

Hot weather, ride and swim

Yesterday was another record breaking day, today will be no different. For anyone who doubts climate change, please come and visit us. This is our second week of new records here in Northern California. Every year we come closer to having a San Diego climate.

Once again, the heat came as a result of strong North-Easterly winds on Wednesday night. All night long winds were howling and thrashing everything in their path. I went on a 40 mile bike ride Thursday morning and for the first time in my life I thought the wind was actually going to blow me over. When I came down from Marlborough Terrace onto Norfolk I got hit by a strong side-blast that almost blew my bike from under me. The Griffen has two substantial "wing" surfaces and it is quite sensitive to such crosswinds, but this blast was stronger and more powerful than I had ever experienced.

Today it is warm but far less windy. I went swimming this morning and for the first time in my life I swam 4,000 yards, all free-style, non-stop. Furthermore, I felt fine afterwards. Earlier whenever I would swim 1.5 miles I would feel trashed. Clearly something is improving. These long swims do help and I should have known this. It is what I do in biking and running. Only it never occurred to me to try to swim long.

Sometimes it is difficult to see things that are too obvious. In previous years I would feel good when I swam 3/4 -1 1/4 miles freestyle, and many times I would take a break after every 1/2 a mile. No more. 

I am not sure if I swam faster, but I certainly swam easier. And I felt better too.

Record temperatures

I think Oakland set a new temperature record every day of the past week. We had temperatures that soared well into the mid-seventies, sometimes topping out at 75-76. That is 9-12 degrees warmer than our previous records. And I don't think we ever had a week of records before.

For anyone who is doubting that the climate is changing, I can put in my 2 cents worth. I have been an avid bike rider since the late 80s with only a few short breaks in between. I remember having an extensive collection of cold-weather gear, including neoprene booties, neoprene gloves, and several jackets and vests. Some of these are still with me, but others either fell apart of old age or were lost in the 1991 hills fire.

In any case, I remember buying neoprene booties every year during the early 90s. The booties are not that expensive and they usually do not last all that long because they tear easily. I remember always wearing them in winter and at times being very cold nonetheless. I also used to have several pairs of tights and a face mask. Towards the end of the decade I stopped buying booties, buying toe covers instead. I also stopped buying heavy tights. Now I find that with few exceptions I can get by with wool socks only (no toe covers) and I never need tights anymore, preferring knickers instead. I have not worn the face mask in over 10 years.

Throughout these years I have ridden consistently and always at the same time of day. Sure there are still chilly mornings when you can use booties and heavy tights, but I used to need them in the middle of the day. And although there has been an occasional cold year -like a few years ago when the citrus crop froze- the overall trend has been towards warmer weather. This is all the more remarkable because I am definitely more cold sensitive now than when I was younger.

I rode 2 hours on my mountain bike on Thursday and 2:40 on the road Friday. On Friday I totaled 2,065 calories and had an NP wattage of 254W with an average of 205. Not a bad ride. Today, 2:30 hours mountain biking, 32 miles with Alistair, a solid ride too.

Trainer

A warm day. Upper sixties to seventy with plenty of sunshine. Yesterday we hit 69, a record for Oakland. Today may be warmer.

I decided to test the new trainer I bought on eBay. It takes a bit of getting used to compared to rollers. Since the trainer clamps the rear wheel, all the movement is in front. That feels different from the rollers with fork stand because there, the front is immobile while the tail moves around gently from side to side.

I also noticed my Michelins slip on the roller. Maybe the adjustment is not tight enough? Or maybe I need another tire? The slip makes the pedal cycle jerky and strange. I am pretty sure it is the tire since it goes away when I pedal more gently. It also gets better once I am up to speed and the flywheel keeps things rolling.

I rode for 25 minutes at about 190W average, burning 313 calories. I put the bike outside because it was warm and I noticed that I sweat a whole lot less out there in the wind. Even a slight breeze makes an enormous difference. That despite the fact that my rollers have a wind machine that creates quite a concentrated blast. But I guess it is all pretty minor compared to real wind. It is also possible that the garage traps the heat.

Afterwards we went swimming and I swam about a mile. I had to stop because of leg cramps but I did swim a good pace while I was at it. Overall, about 45 minutes of swimming. A good day.

Banana bread and riding

The weekend forecast called for warmer than normal temperatures. Last night we had howling winds from the North-N-East, which surprisingly enough, means temperatures rise. Nearly everything in the Bay Area is funny that way. Nature turns green in winter, winds from the North bring hot air, etc. After a while you get used to it too.

I rode 33 miles today, burning 1,713 calories according to my Ergomo. I averaged a good 225W with a normalized power (NP) well above 250, meaning I worked quite hard. That was necessary because the winds are still here. They were gusting in various places, sometimes even making it difficult to stay upright. Although the winds feel cold, they bring in warmer air and today was a super day more typical for spring than the middle of winter. And speaking of winter, some deciduous trees still have bright fall color, while others are already starting to bud new leaves.

I baked another banana bread today. Ever since Cindy's mom showed up in Arizona with a loaf of banana bread for the Ironman, we have been baking away. The loaf was so good -I did not get to eat much of it by the way- we immediately asked for the recipe. Cindy's mom makes a mean banana bread loaded with chocolate, nuts, and bananas of course.

Personally I have been experimenting to see what I can do with 2 cups of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder and one of baking soda, 2 eggs, a cup of sugar, and oil or butter to suit. I started out following the recipe closely, but since then I have done everything from substituting cherries for the bananas, reducing the sugar, using maple syrup and/or molasses, adding protein rich flour, spicing things up with jalapenos, trying out every conceivable nut including almonds, etc. Most of the time, the recipe has worked out fine although there have been some touch and gos -when too many bananas made things gooey,  but the kids sure love the contraptions I come up with. (I do too).

The banana bread, which at times has no bananas (we do live in the Bay Area), makes a great breakfast and an ideal before or after ride snack. It is also a great source of inspiration for new recipes.

Bike duathlon

Today I did a bike duathlon of sorts. First I rode my mountain bike for almost two hours, going through Redwood park along the East trail and back; then I rode 22.5 miles on the road with Alistair on my tribike. I just finished putting the last touches on his new Specialized SL and I wanted to make sure he would not be stranded out there with a loose cable -or worse, a loose handlebar.

It was a great day, albeit a bit cold and windy. However, it was sunny all day and we got one of the most spectacular sunsets ever.  I was not alone in noticing this and several people were out taking pictures of the Bay at sunset.

Today was also the first time I tried the Roberts trail that goes down to the East tunnel entrance. It is really a two part trail along the "backside" from Roberts to Fish ranch, but only one part is bike legal. When you ride that part the only back is to turn around or ride up Fish Ranch Rd., a rather steep (and busy) climb. I guess you could also take the freeway to Orinda. It is one of the few bike-legal freeway rides in the area, but very few people actually ride it. It is no fun riding on a freeway with heavy traffic zooming by.

A lot of riding (despite the weather)

Got a lot of riding in this week. That in spite of some pretty dismal weather. I realize it is nothing like Boston, New York or Calgary, but it is quite a bit colder and rainier than what we are used to. I also don't have the kind of clothing one needs to ride in sub 50 weather.

On Wednesday I rode on rollers, burning 1,144 calories in 1:30. The main reason was that someone had to stay home and watch the kids. It pretty was cold in the garage too in case you wonder. On Christmas day, there was a very cold wind and Alistair and I rode 25 miles on our mountain bikes. Good fun and a nice workout. I love days like Christmas when traffic is very light.

Yesterday I just missed Mike and his Specialized team mate, and Alistair on their 40 mile ride. The reason was that Barbara went swimming and she wasn't back yet when the group left. I left about 10 minutes too late and never saw them. I rode 42.5 miles, burning 2,150 calories in the process, and riding for nearly 2:45 due to slow descents (too chilly). I rode the Wildcat- Orinda-Moraga-Redwood loop and added a detour to Bort meadow to make it over 40.

Today was Team Specialized Junior Camp and I drove Alistair to Napa in the morning. The team planned two three hour rides over two days, but I had to get back because Andreas is visiting from Boston. So I did a shorter loop, totaling 28.34 and burning 1,263 calories. My average power was 200W and my normalized output 241W. It drizzled ever so slightly over the Oak Grade but I managed to stay dry the whole way. Overall it was good fun and very scenic. I rode with them for about an hour and then rode back to my car alone.

Storm clouds

Yesterday it threatened to rain all day, but it never did. At least not until late in the evening. I rode my Griffen on the road for the first time in a long while. First, I did not feel like a long ride and I was debating whether to take the short loop through Orinda and up Wildcat, when dark clouds gathered over Grizzly. So I decided better go South to Redwood.

It was pretty cold, especially on the Redwood descent. Once again, I thought of going short and returning on Pinehurst, but then at the bottom I went straight. At least to Bort Meadow I kept saying to myself. Then to the first top and finally I ended up on the very top. I turned around and got home well before the rains started. Several times it looked quite ominous and even at the top of Marlborough I thought I was going to get drenched in the short remaining stretch. 30 miles in all.

Today I went to the pool and swam 1.75 miles, all freestyle without a break. It took a little over 1 hour so I was swimming at "race" pace. My race pace that is. There was nobody at the pool, and even though it was overcast, the air was plenty warm. The water too was quite hot. Especially in one spot right down the middle of the pool. This time around I dreaded going through the hot river on every lap.

I am not sure what gets into these people that run the club. At times they keep everything overheated, the exercise room, the pool, everything is way too hot. I had expected the opposite as they will be closed tomorrow and the day after. You'd think they would drop the temperature a bit to save money since it will be sitting out there in the open, but no. Let's turn up the heat.

Rain, hail and cold

We had a pretty miserable weekend. Not as bad as some parts of the country but it is cold and rainy. Today it hailed. Not good. I was home alone -with kids- over the weekend so there were limits to what I could do.

On Saturday morning, the weather was still fine and Alistair went for a ride. By the time he came home however, the weather had turned so I went to the club and rode 45 minutes on the stationary bike, followed by a half hour treadmill run (a 45/30 combo).

On Sunday, Alistair went riding with his team mates and I rode my rollers for 1:25 minutes. I rode moderately hard and burned 1,111 calories in the process. 

Today I went to the club again and did the 45/30 as I will call it. 45 minutes cycling and 30 minutes running. The running is so-so and I can hold about 7.5 mph for half an hour. Then my calf starts hurting and I need to stop.

Mountain bike mania

I caught the mountain bike virus. Ever since the ironman I have been reluctant to ride my tribike, preferring the trails instead. I just love the variety and the new challenges. The weather is cooperating too. It is sunny, albeit a bit cold, but overall excellent mountain bike weather. The trails are in great shape, not too dusty and no mud at all. It is heaven.

One thing about Oakland is that it is a true outdoors paradise. With the best weather in the continental US, never too hot or too cold, and some of the nicest parks anywhere, it simply can't be beat. Now if we could just get rid of at least half the cars and the crowds, things would be perfect.

I rode almost 30 miles today. First to Redwood Park, then on the East Bay trail to Pinehurst, then down and up Redwood Rd. to Bort Meadow. Then along the bottom and up the grade to Grass Valley, where I took GoldenRod to the end. A short stretch on Skyline to the park and a return on the West trail to the Redwood gate. Home from there.

I measured the Bort Parking lot to Skyline section on Google Earth and it is about 5.5 miles. All of that is trails. Unfortunately for you hard core guys out there, these are double track or fire-road trails. No single track in the East Bay. We have excellent single track, but none of it is bike-legal except some short stretches in Joaquin Miller Park. Some of my friends don't care but I prefer the fire roads anyways. They are plenty challenging for me as is and they also offer enough variety to go fast and they have some pretty nasty climbs/descents.

I saw very few people today other than some professional dog walkers and the occasional runner. You can always tell the pro-dog folks because they have 6-7 dogs, all different breeds, and they clog up the trail, scrambling their dogs to make room when you call out. 

The funniest thing I saw was this middle-aged guy who was running wearing jeans and a nice white shirt, just a tad short of business casual. He was right there on the trail, away from civilization, and seemed to be enjoying himself. Maybe he never heard of workout clothing?

Another great ride

Today was a day for thermal vests. It was nice and sunny but the temperature was quite low and there was a very harsh cold wind. It was also a great day for mountain biking. The trails were nearly empty and the surface conditions were super. Not too dusty and not muddy at all, just perfect.

I rode out to Redwood Park and then over the East trail to Pinehurst. Then down and up to Bort Meadow and on to the Stone Bridge. There I almost crashed while hitting a nearly invisible ridge along the trail. I had almost crashed there a few days ago too, when the shock caused me to lose contact with the handlebars. Today was a bit different. I was holding on well this time but still "forgot" about the obstacle and went so fast I was airborne instead.

I turned around at the bridge and went back to inspect the obstacle. It is a sharp narrow steep ridge about 4-5 inches tall running across the trail. I have no idea why it suddenly appeared there and I am sure it wasn't there before. Maybe the erosion exposed a rock layer that was previously covered up?

The location adds to the problem. It is at the end of an open and sunny downhill stretch in an area that is narrow and wooded. You go from bright sun to a dark spot so you really can't see very well there -at least for a while- and when you hit it at high speed like I did, you go flying up in the air.

I came back over McDonald to Skyline and then through the park (West Trail) to Skyline again. The climb was in the sun and there was no breeze there so I quickly got quite hot. Near Grizzly however, I was met with a vicious cold wind and in some spots it was hard to move, so strong were the gusts. By then I had been sweating a bit and when the cold wind hit me it was quite chilly. I was very grateful for my thermal vest.

I would guess about 25-27 miles.

Mountain bike

Weather was excellent today, albeit a bit cold in the morning, with a sharp crisp wind. We did not make it out the door until noon, but then Alistair and I went on a  30 mile mountain bike ride with a fair amount of climbing in it.

Because of my injuries (toenails that hurt and a sore calf muscle) we stayed mostly on the road. But we rode several long climbs. First Tunnel Rd., then down to Oakland where Alistair's school is (almost at sea level) and then back up Joaquin Miller, down Redwood and up S. Pinehurst. We finished with a 4.5 mile stretch on the East Bay trail in Redwood Park. At the end, we added a climb up Grizzly.

Dressing was difficult and we wore long sleeves and leg warmers. In the sun, it was too hot, but on shady descents it was icy cold. The ambient temperature was 62 or almost 17C. Not so in the deep shady Redwood canyon though.

27.5 miles mountain biking

The weather was great today. Quite windy but a northerly desert wind (similar to Santa Ana's) that brings dry hot weather. Alistair and I rode 27 miles on our mountain bikes. I think I rode pretty hard on those rollers yesterday, or else I have some residual effects from the Ironman, because I suffered a bit on the trail.

We rode out Redwood, then to Bort Meadow and up the grade to Grass Valley. Then we returned over Goldenrod, a short stretch on the road, and Redwood once again.