It's always a challenge to train while on the road. I was hired just two weeks ago as Director of SEIU Local 1021 representing 53,000 public sector workers in Northern Cali. Yep, once I get back from attempting to "Ride the Divide" my riding time will be greatly reduced as I tackle a demanding, meaningful, complicated new job. Not to mention making up for all the time I missed family activities and kid time for training. Have to give me cred for negotiating the time off to attempt the ride into my hire deal. There are thousands gathered for the SEIU International Convention here in Denver and luckily the very nice south platte river bike trail is 1 mile away from the hotel. Rather flat, but it has allowed me to crank out early morning rides to keep my training going. Some riding is always better than none. I have been up and pedaling by 6:30 the last 3 mornings in a row. I have thus far resisted temptations to stay out and party with my Union Brothers and Sisters.. I brought the Ritchey Breakaway, great bike for such situations and no airline charges. The first ride I could feel elevation working on me a bit, but by day two I was cranking steady and feeling fine. I simply kept in the heart rate range and rode as far as time allowed, usually between 20-30 miles per morning. Yea, I was dragging a little by mid morning, but hey it's a convention, higher level duties and thinking were not required of me. 16 days until my wheel will be on the US-Canadian border crossing in Roosville Montana, ready to roll south... Back home Thursday.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Training and more training
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Riding in the tempo zone
Good training rides this weeks employing Smilie's "steady tempo" in my heart rate no matter what theory. Road ride today pegged 134 avg heart rate, slower climbing hills and pedaled faster down and in the flats. Resisted the urge to sprint with a couple of club speedsters at the end coming from Inspiration point. I did hang with them for a minute or so, heart rate zoomed up to 172. It's actually hard to keep the heart rate up by pedaling consistent downhill, climbing hills you can just slow down. So, I should be burning fuel more efficient, producing less lactic acid and keeping my body stress free while riding 20 or 60 miles. hoping to do a big ride Sunday to continue the tempo training. Work has kept me busy, so mountain bike rides in Tilden after work are order of the day, the training must go on....
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mountain bike-Tilden Park loop by zencowboy2 at Garmin Connect - Details
Mountain bike-Tilden Park loop by zencowboy2 at Garmin Connect - Details Todays 2 hour training ride, slowed it down as Smilie recommended. Plus it was windy and cool which kept the heart rate down.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Lactate threshold test at Upton Labs today
I finally made my appointment at Craig Upton Labs in Marin today to have my test done and know my proper lactate threshold and proper heat rate training zone.Smilie runs the program and is an ex-pro and continues to advise riders like George Hincappi and Andy Schleck. The special trainer and computer set up that he uses cost 14,000 dollars and is the only one in the United States. I feel humbled that a recreation athlete like me for 200 bucks can use a machine that months earlier Andy Schleck was tested on. I have a feeling my power output and data might be slightly lower than Tour de France winner Andy...He put my bike on the trainer, entered my data in the Mac that he used to interplay with the trainer, and had me pedal at a constant rate high cadence and every 3 minutes he got a blood sample from the small puncture he made at the start in my finger. He also raised the difficulty level by 20% each 3 minute period. Needless to say I rode to exhaustion in under 30 minutes all the while the machine measuring my heart rate, lactate levels and power output. After I finished ( in a pool of sweat) he compiled the data, went over it with me and discussed the conclusions and data. I gave out a little early as he said I still had fatigue from last sunday's difficult century and that showed a bit. I always thought my ideal heart rate training zone was 140, meaning my body is efficient and can pedal all day at that rate and do it day after day. Come to find out it's really 135 and I should never really get into over 150 or I go anaerobic and burn out the limited carb energy my body has. if I go lower than 130 or so, I m not maximizing my power out put and efficiency. So, I need to slow it down, keep it steady and stay out of a heart rate over 150. Remember this style of riding and training is mainly for endurance, long distance athletes, and it applies no matter the sport. If I ride in my ideal zone my body can convert fat to energy for use( which your body has much more than carb stores) and stay out of my "carb" energy, resulting in less stressful, efficient almost unlimited energy production. The 30 minute lecture Smilie gave on how this works and why heart rate training works is worth the money itself. Afterwards Greg and I did a tempo ride in Marin through Tiberon called the Paradise loop. Smilie told me to take a few days of the bike that I getting fatigued and need to let my body re-supply. Fascinating experience and now I really know where I should be riding, training, and have real data to work with. I recommend looking up the Craig Upton lab near you and getting this test done if you race, or are and endurance athlete. Well worth it. Hopefully this will help me stay steady "riding the divide" this June.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Test time
Had good ride yesterday on the mountain bike for a few hours, only doing a quick one hour spin on the road bike this morning since I have big day of testing scheduled for Thursday. No, not scholastic testing but an EKG treadmill heart test in the morning at Kaiser. Since I will be under lot's of stress in June riding my bike loaded with 25 pounds 60-100 miles per day my, Doctor recommended I take an EKG test to make sure my heart has no hidden flaws not detectable in regular check-ups. In the afternoon I visit Craig Upton Labs in Marin to have a lactate threshold test done in order to program out my correct heart rate rate, understand my VO max capacity and design a proper training model and program. Meant to do this months ago, but getting ill, work, life just got in the way. 200 bucks for the blood test and program consultation. I have to pedal my bike to exhaustion while wired up and getting my blood tested while doing it. My riding buddy Greg says then I will know the physical parameters of what I can do, cannot, and how to stay in the proper riding zone hour after hour. Legs still a little sore from last Sunday beat down riding the GPC, but better. It won't be long....
Monday, May 7, 2012
Grizzly Peak Century 4th century of the year
This was my 3rd year in a row of doing the GPC and I know it's always tough. Mother nature always seems to ensure it's in the 80's by mid-day making the great amount of climbing in this 100 miler even tougher. Greg and I left the house at around 7am and registered at the Wildcat Canyon bike registration station. We killed it the first 60 miles in fact I was thinking it was easier this year. Shows how a ride can change. It got really hot as we pedaled into the Castro Valley, a section I really despise, and by the time we got to what would be our final rest stop I was feeling cooked. The heat was working on me. The down side is I knew there was 30 miles to go most of it climbing in the exposed sun to get back home. I struggled and as we approached skyline I almost bonked. Had to stop drink water and rest a bit under a shady tree. Something I never do. I got myself together and limped the rest of the way home. I did recover the last 10 miles or so to finish at a good pace, but I will be sore on Monday. I guess this happens to everyone once in a while. Perhaps I hit it too hard coming out of the gate.I had a strong ride two weeks earlier in the Primavera Century, but this time I was limping home. GPC has a hell of a lot of climbing, my back yard Century event in the East Bay hills in no slouch! We climbed close to 8,500 feet.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Grizzly Peak Century Ride - Road biking trip - Spot | SpotAdventures
Grizzly Peak Century Ride - Road biking trip - Spot | SpotAdventures Not sure why i says, 57 miles it was 100 miler!
Untitled by zencowboy2 at Garmin Connect - Details
Untitled by zencowboy2 at Garmin Connect - Details
Friggin hot, I cracked at the 80 mile mark due to heat, had to rest and re-group, finished strong at the end.
Friggin hot, I cracked at the 80 mile mark due to heat, had to rest and re-group, finished strong at the end.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Hello SRAM RED Compact!
Picked up the carbon Giant road bike from Missing Link today in Berkeley with my new compact crankset 50/34. Did a short 20 miler test ride, and I must admit I like the easier spin and lower gears going up the hills. Not sure why I didn't convert earlier. Might need to get a slight adjustment to the chain before hitting the Grizzly Peak Century ride Sunday. Going to skip riding Saturday in order to rest the legs a bit, still have some nagging stiff-soreness. Not enough to be painful, but I'm wondering if I need more carbs in my diet and less protein. I'm a bout 80% Paleo diet these days, but perhaps I'm cutting out too many carbs for the weekly miles and big century rides I'm doing these days. Need to experiment a bit to see if this is a factor. My legs still seem strong and my pace and speed are good. Hot aunny days have returned to Northern Cali, it's about time!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Mountain bike ride on the road, in the rain
Train I must, it was wicked in the Berkeley Hills, especially across the ridge on wildcat canyon to inspiration point, cold hard, mist rain and fog. Kept spinning fast circles not mushing a big ear as my legs feel strong, but a little played from the last last century, and two big plane flights to Kansas City and back in 3 days for work have not helped. Grizzly Peak Century is coming up Sunday, riding it with Greg Kidd. will make my 4th Century ride on the year, and third one in 4 weeks. Starting to feel June 15th and the start of the Great Divide race is growing near. Only 3-4 weeks of training left. Wow, 2500 hundred miles on a loaded mountain bike. Starting to get philosophical about it. Will I crack mentally, will my body suffer a breakdown pedaling 75-100 miles every day. Soon I will find out...In the meantime train I must, rain or shine!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Happy May Day!
The True Meaning Of May Day
GUEST COLUMN BRICE SMITH
The first of May is International Workers’ Day, a holiday founded to honor the long and bloody struggle of working people throughout the world against their oppressors.
Over the past several weeks, there has been a lot of discussion of the so-called “Free Trade Area of the Americas” and the recent mass civil disobedience in Quebec. One has only to compare the reports of those who were actually there to the corporate media’s carefully crafted accounts or to the dismissive statements issued by the government to realize the stark contrast between reality and what those in power want us to believe.
In light of this climate it is interesting to note that International Workers’ Day is recognized in every industrialized country in the world except the United States and Canada. This fact becomes even more telling when one learns that the connection between May Day and the labor movement began in the 1880s in response to the brutal massacre of workers and labor leaders demonstrating for an eight-hour work day in Chicago. The history and meaning of May Day and the many attempts to wipe it from the popular conscience of Americans seems even more relevant today as we celebrate the first May Day of the new millennium sitting on the cusp of the next great human struggle, namely that between totalitarian trans-national corporations and a globalized work force.
It is important to touch on the events surrounding the history of May Day briefly. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions declared that eight hours would constitute a legal day’s work from and after May 1, 1886. When workers went on strike at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory in Chicago on May 3, 1886, police fired into the peacefully assembled crowd, killing four and wounding many others. The anarchists, who had been integral in the eight-hour movement, called for a mass rally the next day in Haymarket Square to protest this brutality. The rally proceeded peacefully until the end when 180 police officers entered the square and ordered the crowd to disperse. At that point, someone threw a bomb, killing one police officer and wounding 70 others. The police responded by firing into the crowd, killing one and injuring many others.
The violence at Haymarket was used as an excuse to try to destroy the progressive labor movement in Chicago. Eight of the city’s most active anarchists were charged with conspiracy to commit murder even though only one even present at the meeting was on the speakers’ platform. All eight were found guilty and sentenced to death, despite a lack of evidence connecting them to the person who threw the bomb. Four were hanged on November 11, 1887, Louis Lingg committed suicide in prison, and the remaining three were finally pardoned in 1893. Lucy Parsons, the widow of Albert Parsons, traveled the world urging workers to celebrate May Day and to remember the events of Haymarket and the subsequent government-sponsored murder of those fighting for the rights of all workers. Instead of destroying the anarchist movement, these events served to strengthen the movement, spawning other radical organizations, including the Industrial Workers of the World.
Over time, May Day grew to become an important day for organizing and unifying the international struggle of workers. In this country, however, every effort was made to prevent the working class from seizing this day as their own. The first serious attempt to undermine May Day occurred in the wake of the violence surrounding the end of the Pullman strike. In 1894 President Grover Cleveland declared the strike of Pullman workers a federal crime and deployed 12,000 troops to break the strike. When the violence ended, Eugene Debs was in prison, the American Railway Union was disbanded, and Pullman employees had to sign a pledge that they would never again try to unionize. Protests against Cleveland’s use of force were met with legislation establishing a Labor Day in September being rushed through Congress and signed into law just six days after federal troops broke the Pullman strike. This attempt at appeasement helped to diminish May Day in this country, but not eliminate it.
More than half a century later, as the Cold War developed between the United States and the Soviet Union, May Day once again entered the national conscience. This time, it was portrayed by those in power as a Communist holiday founded on nothing but “anti-American” propaganda. In 1949, the Americanism Department of the VFW began a campaign to have May 1 designated as Loyalty Day. This was an organization whose founding statement included such principles as:
“We accept as a basis for action that Communists -- whatever they profess at any given moment -- are seeking by any and all means to subvert and destroy our ideals and national security ... We recognize that one of the greatest needs in our country today is education against Communism.”
Their goal was achieved in 1958 when Congress adopted Public Law 529 designating May 1 as Loyalty Day. Each year, on this day first set aside to honor those who gave their lives fighting the system of greed that would work entire families to death in the name of profit, we are told by our government that it is a day to reaffirm our loyalty to that very same system. Not satisfied with perverting a day of international worker solidarity into a nativist anti-Communist farce, in 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower carried out the wishes of Charles S. Rhyne, a Washington attorney and head of the American Bar Association, and established Law Day USA. In 1961 a joint resolution of Congress designated May 1 as the official day for celebrating Law Day USA. To this day, our government calls upon us to come together on this of all days to celebrate the same legal system that has locked away over two million of its own citizens, that has legalized state-sanctioned lynching of minorities, and that has locked away those peacefully trying to assert their First Amendment rights, to name a few of its many sins.
If this bizarre and at times downright absurd series of actions were to happen in any piece of fiction, we would discount it out of hand. It is truly a testament to the power of the mass media and our educational system for disseminating propaganda that tomorrow when you watch TV or read a paper, if anything, you will likely find more stories about the Loyalty Day parades and Law Day lectures occurring today than you will about the mass uprisings of workers around the world, and right here in Boston, who will no longer remain silent. In memory of the true heroes who were murdered by our own government while fighting for the rights we all enjoy today, it is our duty to stand up now and to fight for all of those who will follow us. That, I believe, is the true meaning of May Day.
Brice Smith is a graduate student in the Department of Physics.
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