Cycling Update

I have been able to continue commuting back and forth to work. The weather has been warming and the humidity rising. That has made for more punishing conditions (i.e., sweating bullets). I have been riding my cyclocross bike (disc brakes, heavy duty rims and wheels) while I have been shedding the courvade weight. Fortunately for Kat, she lost the majority to her pregnancy weight within three months. I, on the other hand, have a lot of work ahead of me. Since last year, I am about seven minutes slower, each way to work, compared to last year. Last year my communting times ranged from 35 - 42 minutes to cover the 12.5 mile commute. Now I am averaging about 42 - 50 minutes. I am on a slower bike, but not THAT much slower. I have only been concentrating on the basics. If I really push, I can spike my heart rate to about 215 beats per minute. Because that is pretty dumb, I have been trying to maintain a ceiling heart rate of about 170 bpm (average 140) while holding a cadence of 90 rpm. I have not been focusing on speed because right now, my heart rate recovery time and pedaling efficiency are key. Over the past four weeks, I have covered the following distances:

Week 1: 100 miles
Week 2: 100 miles
Week 3: 87.5 miles (left directly from work to drive to MN over Memorial Day Weekend)
Week 4: 100 miles (this week)

I recently picked up a CompuTrainer (CT) on eBay for indoor riding. I have used it only once, but it was the most intense and exciting way to ride a bike indoors. The CompuTrainer is ultimately a video game for cycling. Imagine seeing someone riding a bike indoors jumping out the saddle to really hammer on the pedals, jammining through the range of gears in the front and rear, and exerting themselves in a pure physical challenge.

On the CT you ride a course that you can build, download from the CT website, or record with a GPS and then upload. The system is calibrated to rider weight, preset wind conditions, drafting off of other riders, and a whole lot of other really neat stuff. The CT is where I will be able to add training over the weekends and in the winter. It is one of the coolest gadgets around!