Group Rides vs The OMTP

After wimping out on my Thursday workout because of the cold I rescheduled it for Friday.  5/8 minute zone 4 intervals felt good, but left me a little tired Saturday.  Dr. Sworks and Catman agreed to ride with me Saturday.  The Doc is still rehabbing so we stayed on multi use and kept a moderate pace.

Catman peeled off but bumped into Postman and they both found me after Doc went home.  It was then the pace went up and so did the single track.  I was working hard and they were talking.  Not quite the 2.5 hours the plan called for but close enough.

Sunday brought word of a group ride with the promise of pizza and brews afterward.  Once again not what the plan called for.  I was already tired but felt like I could work a good effort into the ride by starting early and maybe riding longer.  I had forgotten how easily people who don't ride often tire out.  Look, I get it.  Just two years ago I was rehabbing and wasn't able to ride long without stopping, so I know how it feels.

This is where I struggle with a training plan vs just riding my bike.  I did manage to ride 3 hours, which is what the plan called for.  However, it took over 4 hours to get that 3 hours in.  I enjoyed the fellowship of the group ride, they are more talented than I will ever be.  I liked watching them have fun on their bikes.  But, combine the erratic pace with what some would call a questionable recovery strategy and I worry I may have thrown away a hard training block.  Should I worry?  I mean really, it's just the 60 plus class.  That's not it though.  I enjoy the process and I think I let the process down.

Anyhoo, it was still a good day on the bike.  The beer was cold and the pizza tasty.  In the grand scheme of things having fun with friends will be more important than a training day (?).  The group rides don't come very often anymore.  So I guess I should just chill the hell out?  On the other hand I enjoy finishing a hard training block also.

If this is all I have to worry about everything must be going pretty good huh?

I'm Sorry

The launguage in that last post was rather strong.  I apologize.  I had a better control over that type of thing when The Kid was in the house but I seem to be slipping back into bad habits.

Training

Anyhoo, I'm feeling pumped about the OMTP this year.  I downloaded the plan to Training Peaks (TP) ( I think I already covered this didn't I?) and it's adding a layer of accountability to my training.  It's week 10 of base and it's hard to believe I'll start Build Peak Race in two weeks. 

My first event is the Georgia State XC Series (GSC) on March 10 and 11.  The South Eastern Reginal Championship Series (SERC) starts March 25th.  I have both series in TP and Linda (the lady who makes these plans) set up the training schedule.  I have followed the plan closer this year than I have ever done before.  Like foam rolling and Yoga, I have skipped those in the past.  My mistake.  Doing both of those on a regular basis makes a huge difference in my workouts the next day.

Linda set me up to peak twice, once in April and again at nationals in July.  I'm going to stay in the 60+ class again (cue the groans).  Yea I beat those guys pretty bad last year but going down an age class doesn't make any sense to me.  Everybody else in 60 + can train harder than me, if they want to.

I had to pause there after that last sentence.  I'll have to admit I like being able to race at 90% and win the class.  There I said it.  I have all the rationalizations I had last season.  It was obvious a season of that class didn't prepare me for the 60+ nationals.  Would 50+ sport prepare me better?  Comparing my lap times I would have struggled to finish mid pack in that class.  I would have been competitive in 50+ base but that's still a base class.  Well that settles it.  I'm sticking with my first pick.  60+ it is.

San Elfreezo

The Tour Of San Felasco was this past weekend.  CS and The Kid and I rode together (sort of).  I can remember when just finishing that deal was tough.  It's never really easy though.  

Temperatures started out in the low 40's and by the time we got to the lunch stop they had dropped.  It was cloudy with a biting wind.  Many garmet changes were made.  I ate two tacos which I regreted as we rolled out.  But the sun finally came out and it warmed up for the last hour of the ride.  We sat in the grass eating pizza and having a beer afterwards.  I love days like that.

Thieves

I'm gonna rant. 

It all started in my neighborhood in Beautiful Downtown Havana the week of Christmas.  The thieves got into unlocked cars and the back of pick up trucks.  Stealing whatever they thought was worth anything.  Expensive coolers and even a gun from one unlocked vehicle.

Then The Kid got word that their house in Gainesville had been broken into sometime around Christmas.  The thieves broke a window in a door, stealing two TVs, a bicycle, and anything else they could grab.

The walking pieces of shit that do this don't deserve "a second chance", or "rehabilitation", they just fucking need to go to jail.  I'll gladly pay taxes to build more prisons to hold these bastards until they rot.

Didn't they used to hang horse thieves?

Couldn't you get shot for cattle rustling?  I'm almost ready for some Game of Thrones justice.  They used to do some really horrible things to thieves in 15th century England.

But you know it didn't stop them.

This is all an old tired story.  There will always be bad people.  They will always have a rationlization for doing what they do. 

I'm thinking of getting a rattlesnake and putting it in a cooler, drill some holes so it can breath, and set it on my porch.  That would be fun to watch.

There, I feel much better.  Back to cycling stuff next time.