Outdoor Training Cannot Be Dublicated...

Yesterday I got a break in the weather, as for January it was really warm at 60 degrees.  NICE!  I have been training indoors for the last Month and a half, and the one thing I can say is that there is not comparison.  Outdoor training is much more strenuous and cannot be duplicated with indoor trainer rides.  Here is my Garmin file:



My avgExHR was 140 with an avgSpeed of 15 mph.  The MPH was down because I had a bit of a head wind coming back in, and my legs were beat.  My legs were very sore after the ride and spent the day today in recovery. 
What this tells me is that I need to ride outside at least once a week to maintain consistency for the spring outdoor season, no matter what I do inside.  I have been working really hard on my indoor sessions, but it still wasn't enough.  I cannot replicate the effect of my body weight effecting my performance.  Therefore, weight loss is going to be critical to increase performance over time.

Wish me luck!

Winter Outdoor Ride!

Went for a short ride OUTSIDE today, and it was grand!  Bundled up in all my winter riding attire, and off I went to Cycling Concepts to say hi to Sondre after his trip to Sweden. 
It took me a good hour to prepare my Specialized Allez for the trip, as I have not ridden it for quite some time, probably since the Tour of Hartford.  It was really grimey and I had to clean and lube the chain.  The front wheel had spider webs running through it, and the brakes were all messed up.  I lubed everything, even the cables and adjusted the D's. 
The ride to CC was short only about 10 miles round trip and flat, but I love the road.  It allows my mind to wonder, and enjoy the day, even in the cold. 
At Cycling Concepts, Sondre saw that I had a Specialized, and he quickly taped the iz, so now my bike pronounces me as: "Special ed" , something we all recognized anyway.  The Sirrus weights in at about 40 lbs or more, but a joy to ride as it has 32mm tires, and a straight upride handlebar setup.  Perfect for the chore at hand. 
Now I have ridden in Januray and February this year and well on my way to riding in each month this year.  NICE!  Last year I got to ride outside all but February, so I am ahead of the game.
Pre-ride I got to the gym to lift and do a bit of an ab workout before hitting the hot tub for a stretch.  I then went to Bob's Furnature to check new recliners, but didn't want to wait for delivery or go to norwich to pick it up.  I am now headed to Puritan to see what they have at their close out store...Maybe I'll get lucky. 

Winter Outdoor Ride - Marlborough Hills...Ouch!

New Year's Day outdoor ride in Marlborough with my brother Nick.  22 miles of hellacious hills...Ouch!  After a very hard week of riding indoors, with the Threshold test my legs and body was beat.  My average exercise HR for the ride was 139 bt/min, while my max was a whopping 162 going up the hill on rt. 66 going into Hebron.  It was a very warm day for January, and nice to be outside.  Although I felt I road hard, we only managed 11.2 mph, which is the slowest pace thus far on that ride...NOT GOOD!  This may have been due to the bad road condition slowing me down on the flats and downhills as I was worried about crashing.  I felt I really held back on the most of the ride, except the hills, this may have been the reason for the slower than usual avg. speed, not going slower on the hills.  A great workout just the same at just shy of 2 hrs in the saddle. 
This morning I mounted a new Aliante saddle on both the Tommaso and the R3, as Nick gave me a new Aliante Saddle for Christmas, a nice White saddle with red trim and black letters.  I put that one on the R3, and put the saddle that was on the R3 on the Tommaso.  My old Aliante had bit the dust, the middle completely caved in, although not broken.  I bought it used, and it worked for almost a year, so I got my money's worth. 
My son Brian moved down to Groton from Maine today to start his new job at EB as an electrical engineer.  I look forward to having him around.  I bought him a bike for a Graduation/Christmas Gift hoping he will want to ride with Nick and I, but if not, it will make a great tool around bike. 
Having Chinese for Dinner tonight, as I am too whopped to cook.  My legs are so sore right now.  It feels like I have never ridden those hills at all.  Man I hope this gets better.

outdoor ride in Marlborough with Nick...

Today I went out to Marlborough to ride with Nick.  It was a confortable recovery ride on our usual short 12 mile loop.  We didn't ride until later in the day, so time was a factor.  It wasn't that cold with my winter gear on, but by the end my feet were a bit cold.  It was good to get outdoors again after riding indoors all week, and the outdoor rides are much tougher. 

Took my R3 out for the ride, and again my rear wheel went out of true.  The same spoke keeps coming loose, and is half way into the rim.  I ordered 2 new spokes in both lengths, so I can change it if I need to.  I am going to bring it to CC tomorrow and have Sondre look at it.  I am hoping that I can resolve the issue.  It has been going out of round on every ride lately, and it worries me a bit. I have less than 500 miles on the wheels, and hope that is is not a constant problem.  I might need to get them retensioned, we will see.
Tomorrow is another indoor training day.  Long and slow.