Coffee and Lies # 164 Execute the plan !

I’m a planner.  When I was a teenager in the pre-computer era I used paper and pencils to create my training plans.  First I had to make the calendar boxes then I worked backward from the end date and laid out my plans.  In those days I was a runner and my calendar had distance, fartlek and intervals. I was doing “periodization” before that was even a word.

Creating the plan is only part of the equation.  To be successful you have to execute the plan.

Fast forward to 2016.  My training calendar still has a mix of distance and intervals. There is debate that sayd the traditional cycling periodization model of building base then adding intensity should be inverted and one should start with shorter, harder rides and then add distance.  Like most things I tend to believe the data that supports my existing views and dismiss data that contradicts it.  This debate provides me another excuse to justify maintaining my preconceived notion of training.

In this case the thought of doing hard efforts in December and January was so unappealing that I just put more food in my pockets and went longer instead.  El Chefe and I encouraged each other through some horribly soggy rides.

Now with March looming on the horizon those cold and dark days in the saddle are beginning to pay dividends.  I still have tons of kilometers to ride but I am seeing faster times and those cursed few pounds of winter weight are finally gone.  

In just the last couple weeks when I have wanted to ramp it up I have felt like I was turning up a dial as opposed to gritting my teeth in anticipation of a mighty hurt.  I’ve been throwing in some intervals and have felt stronger.   Almost to my surprise I have found myself really enjoying the faster, harder rides.

It may be the accumulation of base miles or it may just be that my mind is fresh from taking a mental break from intensity.  Either way I am enjoying riding a bit faster.  I’ve dipped into Zone Five now and then and haven’t felt like I was about to explode.  That is a good sign on so many fronts!

There are thousands of kilometers between here and The Dolomites and many of those miles will be wet and cold. I am encouraged that at least so far, the plan is working.

In between Dreams

Although January felt like it was only a week long, during January it seemed like Spring, and all that comes with it, would never come.  Suddenly February was underway before we knew what was happening.  Now the realization that even though winter is far from over, and with the apparent concurrence of a Pennsylvanian Groundhog; change is on the horizon.

The spike in New Year’s Resolution gym attendance has subsided. Football is done and dusted.  We have once again figured out how to dress for the cold so we are comfortable.  The days of leaving for work in the dark and getting home in the dark are behind us.

There is talk of baseball and plans for spring and summer are beginning to take shape. I have thousands of kilometers to ride before our trip to the Dolomites, but my saddle time in December and January has given me a head start. 

There is still much to enjoy about winter. The frost in the trees and the brightness at night when the moonlight is on the snow is magic.  Fat bikes, skiing and the crunch of snow under your boots is thrilling in part because it is fleeting.

Spring isn’t so close that winter activities feel rushed.  Rather, it is like when you are finishing a good meal and you know your favorite desert will follow.

After more than a year of battling a wrist injury, Hottie is on the mend and I looking forward to riding on the trails in spring.

Winter Cycling in Seattle…. What do my shoes even look like?

I have followed what feels like a pretty normal progression in my cycling evolution. It started with a road bike and then a mountain bike.  Then I took up Cyclocross and that changed everything. 

Once I started racing I was willing to ride in real rain and I realized those clip-on fenders really don’t do the job.  I can’t say we have crappy weather especially when compared to Detroit or the like.  I can say that around here we have lots and lots of rides in the rain. 

More than a few cyclists have a special bike they use either as a commuter bike or a rain bike or both.  They deck them out with full fenders and buddy flaps.  If you don’t know what buddy flaps are, then you must live somewhere dryer than Seattle.

Excellent Flappage

Buddy flaps go on the end of your full fenders and just about touch the ground.  They knock down the rooster tail that comes off your rear wheel so anyone riding behind you in the rain (your buddy) doesn’t get your spray in their face.  Anyone showing up to a group ride in the rain without buddy flaps begins by apologizing and finishes by buying the coffee after the ride.

The rain bikes get dirty and the maintenance is far from glamorous.  I love working on a bike in a bike stand out in the sunshine.  Getting the drive train pristine and shiny is rewarding.  Contrast that image with a muddy bike and rims coated with a charcoal colored film, brake pads peppered with sand and shards of aluminum and a chain black with grease.  The downtube is plastered with mud, leaves, worm parts (really), and sand.

You get the idea...

Following the Zinn Protocol I wipe, lube and wipe the chain cleanish.  I try to floss the cassette but the task is made harder by the fender hardware.  My jockey wheels are caked with goo.  My spokes and hubs do not shine.

In addition to the infinite options of rain jackets and pants that are pressed into service everyone wears shoe covers.  I don’t mean the socks worn on the outside of your shoes.  I am referring to the booties designed to DELAY the rain from getting into your shoes. They all keep you dry for a while...... None of them work all the time.

The rain dictates that you start wearing booties in October. In Washington State if it is dry in the winter it is cold so you still have to wear booties to keep your feet warm.  The result is that when spring finally comes and you look down and see your actual shoes pedaling instead of booties spinning around you realize it is a sight you haven’t seen in months.

When the conditions allow you to pull the cobwebs off your “good bike” typically you hoot at how much lighter and faster that bike is compared to your fendered behemoth. Yes that day will come but it will not come soon.  For now we ride in jackets, pants and booties. 

But we do ride.