Florida Challenge Triathlon Countdown Clock

Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Ride Thru the Woods

A ride thru the Woods

My training for the year is in full swing. I'm feeling pretty good and my workouts have been consistent.

Since it's still early in the season, I'm focusing on my conditioning and endurance. That means I'm "building my base." It's not about speed right now, it's about getting in shape and simply being able to complete the distances of the race. The last thing I want to do is go out too hard and injure myself.  I'll continue on the conditioning program until the end of next month. At that point I'll have a decent base and can work on  speed work.

That means I have to resist the urge of trying to keep up with people who pass me, or trying to speed past people like i'm some sort of pro! Self control is a mutha! Lol Gotta stay focused! Lol

Today I rode my bike 42 miles at Flatwoods Park, a 7 mile paved trail that's full of wildlife:

  

It was a sunny, cool day with a slight breeze. My plan for this part of the season is to ride at a good tempo in a relatively easy gear, comfortably  in the aero position for as long as I can.  

My other plan (which is just as important) is focusing on my food intake and staying hydrated during the ride.

Eating & drinking while exercising for long periods is crucial and an artform: if you eat or drink too much you can get sick. Don't get enough and you can bonk and lose all your energy.  The trick is to find that balance.

I've been trying to find that right balance for years. I've tried many different methods and I'm still experimenting and trying to find out what works best for me. Ive tried everything from eating pretzels during a workout to granola bars! Lol 

Right now, these are the supplements that are working for me: 



What I eat from the above list depends on the type of workout I'm doing, the weather, how long, etc etc etc.

The shorter the workout, the less items I'll eat. The longer it is, the more items above I'll eat.

 For example, on a 2 hour bike ride:

 i'll  drink water or Gatorade every 15 minutes for hydration, 

start eating a Clif Bar 45 minutes into the workout for food, 

eat a Gu 30 minutes and another 45 minutes later to sustain my energy levels,

1 electrolyte tablet 40 minutes in to replinish my electrolytes

If i'm riding my indoor trainer for 60 minutes, I'll just drink water and nothing else.

I have been eating on this schedule for close to a month now and it has been working for me. I will keep monitoring my progress and see what happens.

Overall, today's workout was good. My energy levels were high and I felt relaxed on the bike.  
   
 I rode 6 Laps (42 miles) today in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I prefer riding here than on the road because Tampa has a really bad problem with hit & run drivers. I don't want to take any chances!

After the ride, I walked for 15 minutes to stretch my legs, followed by 15 minutes of yoga stretches. On the way home I ate a fruit cup then ate the following when I got home:

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Fettuccine with chicken breast, California Blend veggies, washed down with 100% cranberry-apple juice.

To be honest, I'd rather have a 5 piece wing dinner from Harold's Chicken in Chicago, but that ain't gonna help my training! Lol

So I'm feeling pretty good with my biking so far. Now my swimming is a different story! I have a ways to go with that, but I'm working on it! I'll elaborate on that another time!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, Peace! 

 

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