Time for my annual "I don't know if I can do this" post

[RoadRaven]

June, eh?
Well, you still have a reasonable ammount of time to train for it.
No need to panic.
Just keep on doing what you are doing.

I was thinking of crash training - where you train intensively for about 2 weeks and then do almost nothing - the idea being your body will compensate and you will peak for your race. However, you have to get it just right or you will be absolutely nowhere near a peak...

So don't bother with that... just keep steadily building. Sign in here with weekly planned rides to keep yourself accountable, if it will help...

[Hammer]

Alright, I figured that I would check back in. When I started this post I had an achy back. I tweaked a muscle that got worse before it got better over the weekend. On the 28th I did run 4 miles, even though the ibuprofren had worn off and I was fairly sore after. But I was happy and even though I felt like crap, it kinda felt good too. It was the farthest that I'd run yet.

The 29th I biked around the section, 5 miles on my hybrid. No biggie. On the 30th I did plan to bike more than 16 miles. The wind was out of the SE 24-33 mph wind/gusts. I was just going up and down a N-S road, and would've done a few more mile out/backs but I got hungry and didn't get back out that evening.

I ran 3 on Saturday, just laps on my N-S driveway. Winds 23-29 from the NW.

I'm still running because I have entered a 5K on the 17th.

So my bummer day was today,

My plan was to do a substantial amount of biking, at least 40 miles. I ran some errands for my family and figured that if I were home by 3 and on the bike, I'd get a healthy ride in.

My stomach had been kind of foul all day. I thought that maybe if I got out and rode the hormones would tell my body to knock that crap off. I was maybe a half mile from my driveway and my stomach started knotting up again. It didn't get better, I turned around. Blah. Now I'm sitting in a chair and don't feel bad, but the stomach is still gurgling and, well, I'm a bit gassy. Sorry!!

I'm going to go and lift my freeweights, do some shoulder shrugs, stuff that doesn't involve bending at the middle.

It's supposed to be super nice tomorrow. I will possibly bundle up and ride to work or come home early for a ride afterwork. The second option might be easiest so that I don't have to pack my clothes. We'll see. I may have to pack a skirt, those don't take up much room.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Aquila]

LOL, when I read the title, I thought it would be about something else entirely. :/

[Hammer]

Curious, what did you think the thread was about?

i got 33.23 miles in last night, but it took me quite awhile. I only averaged 11.8 mph. Ah well. I felt pretty good. Except that I should know better than to eat a snickers bar when I'm exerting myself physically at all. I pulled over to let a couple tractors by. I hadn't eaten a ton for lunch. It was early in my ride, so I ate my candy bar. The peanuts did a number on my stomach and I had a gutache for the next 10 miles. I was going up some rolling hills, small headwind (like 12mph). Not bad, but a challenge with sidestitches.

I stopped in a small town to make a pitstop. A cycling friend lives in that town. She was out walking, so I chatted with her.

5 miles from home my gutache resumed. The candybar should've been well digested. It'd been like an hour or so.

Overall, any further distance and I should be using chamois cream again. My shorts were aggravating. But my back/neck/arms felt fine. I could've kept riding, really. I wish I'd been able to go faster. And I felt good today too. A touch stiff, but fine. My plan had been to run today. I walked at noon, but storms rolled in before I was able to run otherwise.

[Aquila]

Sounds like you're making progress, at least, except for the candy bar.

I read it sort of as, "time for my annual; I don't know if I can do this" post. If that makes sense... but I always sort of feel that way about getting the old tires rotated and oil changed, so to speak.

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Hammer

looks like you are staying on track and focused. Well done you.

As for that candy bar - don't know how you could do that. I would feel sick with all that sugar and chocolate that close to a ride. I don't eat stuff like that any closer than about 3 1/2 hours from a good training ride or a race...

[Hammer]

I spent a week sick with an ucky cold. I'm still coughing a bit. I missed a 5k that I'd registerd for and a really nice opportunity to bike. Ah well.

Last week I biked to work twice. It's 15 miles one way to work. I rode back via a different highway the first day to add 3 more miles. No biggie. The wind was fairly breezy on the way home, I had a headwind. Total 33.

The next day I biked to work again. A cycling friend of mine lives NW of me in a nearby town, about 12 or so miles away. She biked with me home, but we added another loop before we headed out. I got a total of 45 miles that day. That day I was kind of tired. I meant to pick up some extra miles a bit when she and I parted ways. But my legs felt like led. My cold may still have been lingering. OVerall, a good day though.

Due to work and the weather I didn't get to ride until Sunday again. I went out for a 26 mile loop. I was going to go on into town to do one continuous ride, due to phone issues I did stop home for an hour. I took the opportunity to make lunch. Then I went back out for a couple more hours. I got 60 miles in total. I felt pretty good, though I only averaged like 12 mph.

I don't often break many speed records on my own. I generally need a faster rider to push me. I was on the bike for several hours and felt fine. And it was a gorgeous day to just putz around. YEsterday I didn't ride, helped family move my grandpa's stuff out of his home. Though, I wasn't sore anywhere except a little in my neck and shoulders.

Long story short: I will be achy on the tour de kota, but should be fine in general.