Hard Time Adjusting...

[Veronica]

I love it. V, have you worn your Triple Crown jacket to school yet?

Every morning!

V.

[Bad JuJu]

exercise ...
and quit caffiene totally...
get to bed at a decent time
learned to say NO
Good luck and stay healthy!

Wow, eclectic--now that's a recipe for success! And one I need to follow. Since school began, I'm still getting plenty of miles in on the bike, but I'm also ingesting (inhaling? ) far too much caffeine, almost never getting enough sleep, and have taken on the responsibility for two programs that I probably should've left to someone else (though I am getting a small additional stipend for each one).

Two weeks into the semester, I'm still feeling OK, but I really do need to cut back on the caff and get more shut-eye. Was it tough to ditch the caffeine totally? Any tricks you used?

[Crankin]

It's good to know I am not alone. I've ridden more this summer than any year before and I am definitely having withdrawl. Usually, I get sick in Oct./Nov. but it already started. Yesterday I had a chest x ray, blood work, but it is all allergy based...maybe an allergy to work! I just feel worn down from all of the riding (I know it's nothing compared to you, Veronica), getting up at 5 every day and grading papers at night. I usually ride 1-2 times a week after school until it gets too dark to do that. Then I walk, hike, or go to the gym. I have yet to get back on my weight lifting schedule. Plus, I have a pretty challenging ride to lead on the 17th and my first century on the 24th.
One of our math units has to do with planning a bike tour! The math teacher asked me to do a lesson with the kids in Lang. Arts on my bike trip, etc. So, I will bring in my new bike (they haven't seen it yet) and pictures from my tour. I haven't commuted to school because it's too dark in the AM already for me to get here at an hour that will give me some breathing room before the kids come in.

Honestly, I am looking forward to this being my last year. I am not burned out and definitely don't want to turn into one of those teachers that doesn't care, but I feel more stressed out than when I had 2 little kids, was working, and doing volunteer work.

[Lise]

Every morning!
V.

Exxxellent!

[Veronica]

I just feel worn down from all of the riding (I know it's nothing compared to you, Veronica), getting up at 5 every day and grading papers at night.

Oh man... don't remind me of papers to grade. I've got math Diagnostic Tests to look at and yesterday I had the kids write out their goals, and they definitely need to be edited for spelling!

Be glad you're not crazy like me Robyn. I really want to do Paris - Brest - Paris next year... Life really is easier when you're not trying to fit insanely long rides into it.

V.

[eclectic]

Two weeks into the semester, I'm still feeling OK, but I really do need to cut back on the caff and get more shut-eye. Was it tough to ditch the caffeine totally? Any tricks you used?[/QUOTE]

No great tips just my experience
Diet Mountain Dew was my fix of choice 24 oz per day, I didn't think it was impacting me that much(used to be coffee but too much of a pain to make)

If you go cold turkey be ready for the headache that NO medicine can get rid of

I did a bunch of research on caffiene amts in different things and how to quit AFTER I quit coffee is worse than mountain dew believe it or not.
It is better to gradually cut back over a period of weeks,mix it with decaf or drink less, unless you have about 2-3 days that you can live with a headache

I quit for Lent (even though I am not Catholic, I still usually do something for Lent) because of that commitment it was much easier, when I was suffering I just thought of how Christ suffered way worse (could substitute thinking of something different such as our soldiers in the trenches suffering in Iraq - if they can do it I can do this little thing)

Once I was off it for a couple of months I felt so good I had no desire to start drinking anything with it again. As I cut out the MT Dew it also cut out the aspartame which I am still avoiding where ever possible

Good luck on the sleep part NOW that for me is way harder to do (I am a night person and my first class is at 7:45A but luckily all the HS students are asleep to )

All in all it is WAY worth it I am more alert with way more energy and less stress!

[jobob]

Be glad you're not crazy like me Robyn. I really want to do Paris - Brest - Paris next year... Life really is easier when you're not trying to fit insanely long rides into it.

Hey, V., here's an interesting thread from the Long Distance forum on Bike Journal, on how to train for rides longer than 300 K.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=221475

Basically, what they're saying is that once you have the base miles in, and the good fitness level, increasing your speed via short intense rides (intervals & what have you) is more effective than going out on progressively longer rides.

It may sound counterintuitive, but I think one way to train for the longer brevets is actually to train yourself to ride faster, which means doing shorter rides

Anyhoo, you most likely knew this already, but I thought it was really interesting.

I think it's so neat that you're wearing the jacket to school !

[Veronica]

Thanks for the link Jo.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I have been doing, short intense stuff, either on the trainer or outside. But I have it in my head that I need to do one long ride a month.

I SHOULD have done a long ride over Labor Day weekend - but I was lazy and didn't ride at all. Actually, it was kind of relaxing.

V.

[Crankin]

Yeah, well, when we have a nice relaxing day (i.e. no riding or a short ride or walk) we say we are being "regular" or "normal" people.

Denise G. can vouch for this.

Robyn