CompuTrainer - Getting my `money's worth'

It's been a long time since I used the C'trainer in a structured plan of training. Though I've had a C'trainer since 1996, with the exception of 2000-2001 my use of it was inconsistent, mostly along the lines of `exercise,' or a `good workout.' That has changed now, as I dig in and prepare for RAW 2010.

Almost any workout on the C'trainer is harder than on the open road. Here are a few of my experiences and reasons for saying so:

• I set my weight on the C'trainer as if I weighed 250 lbs, not the 200 I currently weigh. That means that on inclines I have to crank harder.
• The C'trainer doesn't allow me to `coast.' If I stop pedaling, or slow down on declines ... the bike just stops dead! On the open road I frequently `let up' on declines, and often my speed, in fact, increases!
• I can choose to ride popular and well-known courses. For example, I can load any stage of the 2009 Tour de France. Or, I can create a course based on the terrain of favorite rides I've done (e.g., Ride Across Indiana [RAIN]), the RAAM/RAW route from Congress, AZ, to Sedona, AZ.
• I can `save' my performance on a course and then race against my performance any time in the future. I did this today. Yesterday I rode 32 miles of the Florida Ironman course in 2 hours. Today I used yesterday's performance on this course and `raced' against myself, completing 41 miles in 2.5 hours. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT.

So, it looks like I'll be able to structure very high quality training over the cold winter months.

Recline position, breathing and an empty bowel system ...

PERISTALSIS: The wavelike movement of muscles in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that moves food and liquid through the GI tract.

Diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing ... is the act of breathing deep into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly by flexing your rib cage. This deep breathing is marked by expansion of the stomach (abdomen) rather than the chest when breathing. It is generally considered a healthier and fuller way to ingest oxygen.

My curiosity about this issue causes me to risk making some readers feel a little queasy discussing this.

Going back to my first long, fast ride (I later learned it was a `race') on the recumbent at Metamora, IL, in 2008 I found that less than 10 miles into the event I had to rush off deep into a cornfield to ... uh ... take a very serious `dump.' Fortunately, when I ride I literally carry the kitchen sink (toilet paper) to salve my (wrong word) `anal' personality.

I never had this experience riding the upright bike. It occurs ONLY (and without fail!) on the recumbent bike. And I am certain that it has to do with the recline position on the recumbent.

Since that time I've been very, very alert to needing to have a pretty empty stomach and bowel system before I hit the road on a training ride or race. This has required me to literally go on a liquid diet for 2 or even 3 days before an event. In the course of my normal day to day life I honestly can't manage to keep to a liquid diet if I'm doing outdoor training 3 - 5 times each week.

On the days that I hit the road in the early a.m. after a `normal' few days of eating solid food I have to take into consideration the following: I ride for about 4 - 5 miles with increasing discomfort and a sense of feeling `bloated.' This translates to a sense of breathing problems. Like clockwork I have the need to find a port-a-john or gas station to take the `dump.' After the `dump' I'm on the bike and feel 150% more comfortable, have absolutely NO awareness of breathing problems, and find that I can generate far more watts and feel far more `alive' on the bike than before the `dump.'

I've concluded that I am a natural diaphragm breather. I guess I'm fortunate in that regard. But, it clearly implies that, in my case, I have to be mindful of the need to have an `emptyish' gut before I enter a race. As well, in training I have to anticipate and plan for discreet and appropriate bathroom facilities (or deep cornfields) to `take care' of this issue so that I can get on with my training.

I have not heard from other recumbent racers (or even those who ride the less radically reclined casual recumbents) who may also have this ... situation.

(For what it is worth I have no medical problems that would explain this phenomenon.)

- Dan

Slow go is better than no go

You know you're on the right track when you finish a workout feeling `just fine' when just a month ago that same workout would have left you flat and exhausted. It is a humble admission but I finished a 25 mile pancake flat CompuTrainer course in 1:26. That isn't a great time but I wasn't trying to make a PB.

With the C'trainer set thinking that I weight 250 lbs it was clear to me that the speed I was doing for the watts was far less than it would be on the open road. But ... that's the point.

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Here's a YouTube video of me finishing the UMCA Indiana Cross-State Record for recumbent last March:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE5HJFYSOcc

http://amlingscycle.com/page.cfm?pageId=193&preview=yes

Contrasts ... ethereal and the mundane

Seventy-one miles of freezing temps, pitch-black night and absolutely stunning sensation of being alive.


Up at 3am to drive to the 32 mile loop in rural Hampshire. It has been quite a while since I rode in the dark. And it was the first time I can remember riding alone, in the pitch black of night, with a sub-freezing temp.


I dressed right and am using hand and foot warmers to take much of the sting out of the cold. Fortunately, all the mechanical and fuel systems worked flawlessly.


Not a soul on the roads. I was toasty warm throughout.


The two forward lights were sufficient but I will probably be looking for something stronger. Frost on some of the roads.


Rolled through several wonderfully mysterious patches of foggy frost in the dark. As the sun rose the colors, quiet, fog and solitude were ethereal.


The day before I attempted the same ride but a cleat came off the mtb Shimano spd shoe I use in this weather. I was 7 miles out and took a short cut back for a total of 11 miles ridden and 92 miles driven!!!


Finished up at 10 am and got home in time to get two emergency calls from clients and one call from daughter in law. My son (James - 41) was admitted to the hospital over the night due to what turned out to be pericarditis and a `touch' of pneumonia.


Off we all went to visit with him. He's fine now but it is a `mortality check' with all that that entails for a wonderful son, husband and father.

Really crazy (like a fox?) idea ...

Winter. Indoor training. Motivation. Unghhh!!!

On January 10th I'll be missing the 12 hour World Cup in Australia.
On Feb 14th I'll be missing the Sebring 24 hour in Florida.
On Feb 21st I'll be missing the Tarheels double
On March 14th I'll be missing the Texas Hill Country 375 mile race.
On April 3rd I'll be missing the Heart of the South 517.3 mile race.

NO I WON'T!

Although the dates above were those of 2009 for these events my plan for this and next year, while restricted to indoor training, is to actually do as many of these as possible on the indoor CompuTrainer. Same start times, etc... Simply simulate them indoors.

This has lots of potential for a very challenging and spiced up training program for the Winter.

Again, as I'm off to work now, more about this later.

The `training' part is the easiest part ...

I'm learning - painfully - how difficult it is to maintain a semblance of balance in one's life while doing what it takes to train for an overwhelmingly challenging athletic event like RAW. (At least I hope I'm `learning.')

Love, work and play. And in that order of priority. These are the three things that I try to `balance.' Training fits into the `play' category.

I miss spending more time with my wife. Part of that is due to the fact that she works 9-5 five days a week and I work 2-10pm four days a week. I used to get up in the morning in time to have coffee and chat for a few minutes before she is off. But, lately, my work sees me staying later than 10pm and my training demands that I get sleep. So, at least two mornings of the four days I work I wind up missing her before she goes off to the job.

My sons and grandkids. I don't know that they would want me around much more, anyway, because they lead very busy lives. But ... there are the weekends when I feel bad that I'm off training or so wiped out afterwords that I'm emotionally `checked out.' That also applies to my life with my wife. On weekends I enjoy our time together but ... a lot of it is spent with me stuck to a chair or the couch, recuperating.

Work. I have a need to be `sharp!!' for my clients. As a private practice psychologists I need to be able to listen well, be energetic and resourceful for them. If I'm not doing that I feel that it is both unethical and harmful to them. Actually, I probably place more priority to this aspect of my life than I credit myself. I do not allow myself to be `asleep at the wheel.' I read the literature, prepare and implement solid treatment plans, am alert and emotionally at the 99th percentile with them. I love this work. I know that I couldn't do it otherwise.

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Lately I've found that I have become impatient and even harsh in some of my social interactions, i.e., not with family or clients. This is probably where my tension and stress gets expressed. I don't like that.

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Having so many demands that I place on myself ... it really is like walking a tightrope. I'm finding that I am ratcheting up the `discipline' part of work. That is, doing the pre- and post-session paperwork as immediately as I can so that it doesn't pile up and make me feel even more unbalanced. I'm finding that I'm more reckless and less patient in other areas in my life because there is an underlying sense of anger and frustration with where I'm at. That is, I'm `scared' that I won't train enough and my fear turns to impatient panic.

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So you probably thought that this was all about the bike, eh? Nope. I think that this is why I like big challenges. They scare me and keep me motivated to constantly redefine myself. Sometimes I'm not sure if this is a good thing or just running away from something.

Indoor training and survival ...

Concluding that I'll have to cut back on the 90 mile drives back and forth to a good place to train on weekends. Too much time, too cold. So how do I get in the long hours of training without losing motivation?

Over the cold months I'll be using the elliptical and Concept2 indoor rower as well as the CompuTrainer. These are good and useful pieces of equipment. The elliptical, especially, is a good lower body workout that simulates and works many of the same muscles as the recumbent bike.

More later but I'll probably be putting together several 6, 12, 18 and 24 hour workouts over the next five or six months of indoor work. Likely, as well, to rotate among platforms during the long workouts so as to remain motivated. Less motivation ultimately results in less time training, no matter how you slice it.

When I put together the next Phase of training on Excel I'll post it with a link.

There have been times when, on the CompuTrainer, I'd finish a 5 or 6 hour workout and I'd want to get completely drunk in order to erase the memory! Never did that but ...

Cold weather training

Starting out early on Saturday and Sunday meant braving a sunless steel grey sky, frosty fields and 25 degrees F. Underdressed Saturday and risked a chill that saw me courting the flu this time last year -- my first fever!

The Shimano 3 strap sandals are extremely comfortable and can accomodate dressing the foot in warm and windproof socks and `booties.' Still, I didn't quite get the calculation correct and found that I had the dreaded `foot is a numb block of ice' effect on Saturday. Went to Joe Reichert's Amlings Cycle http://amlingscycle.com/ on way home and picked up some hand warmers (they activate when exposed to air and can last up to 6 or 7 hours).

On Sunday I participated in a local-ish (115 miles round trip) 62 mile invitational in Richmond, Il. Over 3,300 feet of climbing, starting out from the local fire department. Used the hand warmers and sandals. Warm wool socks (up to my knees). Wrap the warmer over the toes and put a rubbery shoe bootie over the woolen sock and warmer. Then add another toe bootie.

The temperature wasn't the problem, though it was very cold. Rather, given that there were countless spikey hills I frequently crossed into the 40 mph territory coming down hill. My legs and torso got cold in such a windchill. However, my feet were toasty. Certainly, when it gets cold enough for the pawls to freeze sandals won't cut it. But this was a pleasant learning experience.

Water in my 48 oz bladder froze in the hose. Had to stop twice to gently twist and bend the hose and suck to get it going again. My 16 oz bottle of maltodextrin, some whey protein, didn't freeze. Spooky.

Given the pace and energy that I put into the Richmond invitational (pushed hard at least 80% of the time, doing satisfyingly well on the hills -- short and long --) I failed to fuel enough. Around mile 50 I experienced the `bonk.' Stopped and retrieved an energy bar(brick) and some Clif Shot Bloks (ice cubes). I'm lucky to be able to respond within a few quick minutes to ingestion of carbs and was off again.

One wants to smack one's forehead for forgetting to eat in a heavy workout.

The Richmond course is a good one for RAW training. Plenty of 10-12% climbs, a few long 1 - 2 mile 3% grades. Around a series of lakes and moraines in the northern Illinois area. I'll hope to train heavily in this terrain now and in the Spring.

About getting cold after being all sweaty and screaming down hills when the temps are hovering 30 F: I'll have to find a way to not overdress while still protecting against wind chill.

Heat acclimatization & Cattle stampede

CA and AZ in the summer, esp at the lower elevations, is very, very hot. RAAM and RAW vets report it being in the triple digits. The heat, more than the climbing, slowed or stopped many riders. Reading their reports one is struck by how the strongest and hardiest of them are humbled by the intense heat.

Of course, it is Fall toward Winter in Chicago and there is little sunlight in my basement. So here is my strategy toward heat acclimatization.

• Indoor training without a fan
• A 1200 watt space heater near the bike
• Layered clothing:
• arm warmers
• leg warmers
• short sleeve jersey (not poly nor cotton, but wool)
• long sleeve nylon jacket

Today I did one hour on a flat course (C'trainer).

• C'trainer set at 250 rider, though I weigh 203 (today)
• Avg watts: 169
• Avg HR: 136
• 18.3 miles

I should weigh myself before and after workouts if I am going to be training `hot.'

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I've found the second best method to repel dogs (the first best method is a .22 calibre nine shot pistol but I decided to stop doing that 47 years ago. Another story).

http://www.falconsafety.com/ sells a product called the Sound 911 Personal Safety Horn. It sends out a 118-decibel blast of sound. No batteries or wires. Comes in a teeny can that I've zip-tied to the right handlebar, just above the Zefal mirror.

This weekend I used it twice. I was in the rural Illinois farmland.

The first time was when a small ankle biter started chasing me from it's porch. I casually reached up and depressed a little button. The dog stopped cold.

The second time is when I was slowing down for a cross highway. Two big yard dogs were bounding toward me with only a `cosmetic' fence between us. They slowed as they got to the fence but I wasn't waiting. I depressed the button and they both stopped, their heads went down, their ears and tails dragging. They abruptly turned around loping like they had been spanked.

Cattle Stampede: With the pair of yard dogs I noted a bunch of cows in a nearby field. When I hit the horn they were startled and started to move quickly away. This is something I DIDN'T want to happen.

I don't know the effect on milk production that this horn has. And I don't want to piss off some hard working dairy farmer.

But this horn is easy to mount, to use, and is profoundly effective.

Maybe now I can take that can of Bear Spray hanging from the riser and put it back in the brain box. :-))

Reason is frustrating

You would think that age and experience would bring wisdom.

In complete contradiction to my rational training plan I irrationally `re'planned to do an orgy of cycling this weekend because my wife, Annie, was out of town. Initially the replan saw me doing 100 miles on a flat course on the CompuTrainer Friday; then a 100 miles at an easy lope on the Hampshire course on Saturday; then (going COMPLETELY against the strategy of saving money) I was going to drive 180 miles round trip to do a local invitational 100 miles Sunday.

From the neck up I'm not so smart. I was taught a lesson by the `from the neck down' part of me.

The Friday CompuTrainer course was anything but flat. I loaded up a very hilly course and managed to finish 58 miles in 4 hours. I purposely didn't push it but found myself pretty spent at the end.

The intent on Saturday was to do three 32.5 mile loops in Hampshire. Did only two laps for 65 miles in just short of 4 hours. Though it was cold there wasn't a harsh wind. And though it began sprinkling in the last 90 minutes of the ride there wasn't enough rain to even slick the roads. But I realized that I had no power about an hour into the ride.

I used the Garmin Edge 705 that my son's bought me for the first time. It's replaced my 4 yr old 305. It still keeps the key data I want but adds an entirely new dimension to riding (as I learned this morning as I uploaded my data to the Garmin online resource and drank in the data being presented in interesting graphical format).

This being Sunday I've caved to the message my body is telling me (you're doing too much too soon) and only doing two hours of flat-flat-flat course on the CompuTrainer. Active rest. HR below 120 at all times. Maybe even less. Just spinning while I read.

I guess I'm not as thickheaded as I used to be. At least I'm listening to my body these days, even though I still have the tendency to `re-plan' impulsively.

Household chores today having to do with the change of seasons.

Training for Race Across the West in June 2010

More Difficult than the Tour de France

There are two versions of the `World’s Toughest Bicycle Race.’ Both versions are considered more difficult and taxing than the Tour de France.

Lance Armstrong said of RAAM: ”Maybe I'll do RAAM one of these years. Am I crazy? Anyone know how many miles a day they avg?” 6:04 AM Aug 2nd, 2009 via Twitter.

The Race Across America (RAAM) starts Oceanside, California, a few miles north of San Diego, Oceanside, California, and ends 3,005 miles and 100,000 feet of climbing later in Annapolis, Maryland. Solo racers finish in 9 to 12 days, averaging 250 to 350 miles per day.

• http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/

The Race Across the West (RAW) is the most difficult part of RAAM, starting in Oceanside, California, and ending 860 miles of burning desert, freezing mountains, and 50,000 feet of climbing later in Durango, Colorado. Solo racers finish in 2.5 to 3 days, averaging 250 to 350 miles per day.

• http://www.raceacrossthewest.org/

RAW is a Race of Truth

This is a Race. Unlike other well-known road races, like the Tour de France, RAW is not a stage race. RAW is a single stage. Once the clock starts in Oceanside, it doesn't stop until the racer reaches the finish line in Durango.
RAW is the second longest endurance cycling race in the United States. The race is essentially a time trial - a race against the clock, sometimes referred to as the race of truth. Unlike the Tour de France, solo racers are not allowed to draft or take shelter from the wind.

Hot, dry, cold, windy, constant climbing, day and night

A series of moderate climbs takes the Racers from the ocean into the shadow of Palomar Mountain near the crest of the Laguna Mountains. Then, not unlike a blast furnace, the temperatures rapidly climb into triple digits during the steep, dizzying, twisty, 3500-foot descent of the “Glass Elevator” into the Anza Borrego Desert.

Desert conditions get even more difficult below sea level along the southern shore of the Salton Sea as rising humidity levels make a mockery of the “at least it’s a dry heat” West Coast mantra.

Brawley, California, is the first oasis with a Time Station and full services between two hot 90-mile sections. These sections take Racers over sand dunes and through Colorado River Valley agricultural communities to Blythe and Parker, then into Arizona.

Three hundred and ninety-two (392) miles into the race the dizzyingly steep Yarnell Grade challenges sleep-deprived and dehydrated Racers with over 2,000 feet of hairpin turn climbing in just under 7 miles. Dead air and 3-digit temperatures accompany the Racers up Yarnell Grade.

The race then follows the mountain route from Prescott through Jerome, Cottonwood, and Sedona to Flagstaff. From there Racers navigate the desert plateaus another 350 miles to the finish line Durango, Colorado, elevation 7,000 feet.

RAW and the Racer – Dan Fallon

Dan Fallon holds several speed and distance records:

• In March of 2009 he rode from Illinois to Ohio, traversing the State of Indiana (151.5 miles), in 7:11:00 (21.04 mph) [Official time: 7:24; 20.57 mph]. (Ultra Marathon Cycling Association)
• http://www.ultracycling.com/records/records2009.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE5HJFYSOcc
• In April of 2009 he rode from Missouri to Indiana, traversing the State of Illinois (153.1 miles), in 7:50:00 (19.54 mph). (Ultra Marathon Cycling Association)
• http://www.ultracycling.com/records/records2009.html
• In May of 2009 he was the first person to ever complete the challenging Balltown Classic on a recumbent bicycle: 201.3 miles, over 10,000 feet of climbing, in 12:43:00.
• http://www.ultramidwest.net/UM/balltown/UM/baltownw/balltown/baltownw/baltownw/halto

Dan is 64 years old, a husband, father of two sons, grandfather of two granddaughters, and has a fulltime practice as a Clinical Psychologist in Chicago. http://www.licensed-psychologists.com/
 
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I've registered for the Race Across the West (San Diego, CA to Durango, CO - 860 miles) to take place starting June 9, 2010.

Given that I live in Chicago it is difficult to do open road training. In the colder months most of my training is done in my basement on the Racermate CompuTrainer. Outdoor training requires me to load the bike in my pick-up truck and drive 30 - 45 miles away. I am a self-employed clinical psychologist affiliated with a community based group private practice. This allows me some schedule flexibility, though I work about 50 hours each week.