Brilliant Hospitality

Made our way up to the lake to celebrate with the M&M's..... easily described as simply brilliant hospitality combined with fantastic food.  Now add in the possibility of drinking way tooo much and blowing off fingers with fireworks from Canada Tire and you've got yourself a way of remembering the birth of 2015.

We all managed to get organized enough to head out on the local trails around the golf course and down to the 307-7th for a grand tour of the abandoned and seemingly derelict cottages of the summer residents.

The Whole Gaggle of Us

Forgot my watch in the chaos that sometimes materializes when the whole gaggle of us head to the pool.  Regardless, Tri-Girl had hers and she was into a 30min lap swim so I paced of of her rather than trying to keep an eye on the pace clock witch is perpetually out of focus without prescription goggles.

So just a straight up TT with a fairly accurate time and completely on par with my last timed effort.

A Sense of Being at the Lake

Day after gluttony.

We, if I was perfectly honest, I did not really eat that much.... haven't been a two plate second helping kind of guy for 15yrs..... well with the exception of Tri-Girl's pie.  The dust has settled on yet another fantastic Christmas and Tri-Girl and I decided that today was a run day.  Minons got a WiiU for Christmas, so we did not feel like kicking them off the TV for Sufferfest.  With some gentle snow -globe snow falling outside and drifting straight down, we knew that the wind was not going to be a factor, so even though it was -11˚C the run was the only option as Centennial was still closed for the holiday.

There are moments that I tire of the Hearte Trial, but they are few and far between when it is maintained.  What a simply fantastic run today.  It is 1 mile out to the trail head and then within a few steps you are enveloped in the peaceful calm of the tunnel of poplars and elms that forms the trail.  In all honesty, I was realy only trying to catch Tri-girl; who had set out on this adventure about 5 minutes ahead of me. Yet, once I reached the turnaround point, I was having so much fun, I though I would go a bit farther.... no regrets there.... punched the stop sign at Harstone and headed home.

Greeting people walking dogs and going for walks, you get this sense of being at the lake where you say hi to everyone you meet, or at least give them a wave or a nod.  That combined with the lightly falling snow, made my day.

'Twas the day before Christmas

'Twas the day before Christmas
and on the usual trail,
Tri-guy was running
at the pace of a snail.

His calf was all fixed
and hammies were stretched
in hopes that decent times
could possibly be fetched.

This was not to happen
on the roads out today,
as snow turned "Brown Sugar"
and time slipped away.

And what to his wondrous
eyes should appear,
but a fantastic Santa hat
that was sure to spread cheer.

So up on his head,
as merry attire
Tri-gy headed out
for a lap of the Shire.

Left-Right, Left-Right,
'round the course he flew;
wishing festive greetings
to people familiar and new.

And they heard him exclaim,
as he ran out of sight.
"Merry Christmas to all,
and to all a good night!"

All apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.

Just Maintenance

Day two of swimming and it was a little bit busier with all the kiddies on break.  A few people have figured out our secret time and have come to join us.  The lady at the desk let us in; however, we had to wait to go on deck until 2:30 when a third lifeguard came on.

My time in the pool was ouchy. My shoulders and the like were still twitchy and achy from yesterday's TT and I was sure it would slow me down.  But then again.... who cares?  Its not like these times really mean that much and the bigger issue is that I am getting healthy and putting my self  firmly back on the road to full recovery and heading towards completing 1/2 Challenge in August.  Thus, in the wee small hours of the season, it is far more important that I just be consistent and swim... in fact some of my best work outs have been when I do not feel like going at all.

In the end, I was pleased with my day two times and will continue down this avenue as the speed work seems to be doing just that..... working.

The second half of my swim was the fun stuff.  Peaches and Short Pants are signed up for their Bronze Medallion starting in Jannuary and one of the requirements is the timed swim.  Now both of them were getting a little worried about this one, and try as I might to tell them that they will be fine, they both were still uncertain.  So.... I convinced them to come into my lane and give it a go.  Ready or not, they understaood that it was a good idea to get a base-line and we could go from there.  

I paced them out really easy to start as I was still tired from my set and I wanted them to understand that going fast out of the gate was not going to get them anywhere. Nothing like gasping on the lane rope, completely out of breath watching everyone pass you.  The timed swim is 500m in 15:00.  Like I said, that can seem a bit daunting, but they both did very well and were easily under the time.  Short Pants came in at: 10:45 - 2:09/100m, and Peaches came in with a handy 2:30 to spare at 12:26 - 2:29/100m.  Nothing to worry about... just maintenance.

Hypoxia?

First day of holidays and the family ended up at the Centennial.  Tri-girl and I hit the lanes and the kiddies chased each other about... so much so that I am really not that certain who burned more calories.  I decided I have done three and a half months doing my little set of 5x300m to try to get my speed up , so with Rubber Glove fresh in my legs and embedded in my brain, I thought it would be a good idea to do a TT in the pool.  20 minutes seemed a little short, so I settled on 30 minutes which was roughly the same as my regular time.

My biggest feat, to be honest, was not the time, but losing track of my laps.  I get in there and round about 30 laps in I drift off an start thinking about this and that and then I am all befuddled and not sure if that was 34 or 36.  I am usually lucid enough to know that is it an odd or even lap, but where to go from there is never quite as clear as you'd think.  Maybe it is the effort creating a lack of oxygen to my bran that is causing the lapse in  mathematical prowess or it simply could just be that i  am a bear of very little brain. Either way, my fears were unfounded as I counted them all with great precision.

This will explain how I feel in the pool sometimes...

Anyhoo... I am pretty proud of my time and my average was pretty close to where i wanted it to be.  I was hoping for about a 1:40 minute/ 100M and I was pretty stoked when it worked out to 1:39.

Generous Amounts of Chamois Creme

After a quiet week of exercise and I long week at work, Tri-girl and I descended back to the scene of the crime (quite apropos seeing that these Sufferfest videos are downright criminal).  Today we would throw caution to the wind and apply generous amounts of Chamois Creme and lube it up for Sufferlandria's official fitness examination - Rubber Glove.

The aptly named Rubber Glove is a series of warm up type efforts getting you ready for a 20 minute TT whose results will guide you in your gear choices and speed for the video series.  When you are done, you will have some data to drive your workouts.... i.e. avg speed and avg HR for the 20 minutes of suffering.  However, what I truly enjoyed, is that it really gave me some pacing for the TT and brought me to one of the fastest TT's in 5 years.  Now that's money well spent.  Whether it is the videos and training I have done up to this point or where I am at on this particular day - who knows?  But what I do know is that I am about 10 videos into the 20 and besides the heart pounding and sweat that characterize each video, I am maybe seeing my first real results from all this hard work.

Sadly, I am also aware that in increasing my TT pacing, I have shot myself in the foot, as all of my efforts for the remaining videos will be all the harder.  I was riding at my last TT pace for all of the first videos and holding 23KMPH for an effort of 7.  Now, due to my increased TT AVG Speed, I am going to have to hold 25KMPH for an effort of 7. .... well 25.6KMPH to be exact.

If you open my data and go to the splits, you will see the completed TT and how that all played out.

Tri-Girl and I also did a 35 minute warm up to get ready for the TT.

Just Get Through it Without Falling

After being led like a lamb to the slaughter on a weekly basis to Ness Physiotherapy to have my legs worked on by the jackhammer hydraulics of Chris "fingers" Ciastko, I braved the roads and the melty type temps and headed out on my first run in 9 weeks.  I was a bit apprehensive with drizzle drifting down like a cooling blanket of mist and freezing to the road creating the perfect pebbling effect akin to our local curling rinks.  However, my fears were assuaged through careful footing and the ever sure grip of my trusty Ravena's.  

It was not a fast run by any means and that was not the point.... a fact I kept reminding myself throughout the 30 or so minutes I was out there.  "Just get through it without falling.  There is loads of time to build up speed."  I tried my best to keep some constant pacing, and,  although I did wear my watch, I was also smart enough no to look at it once.    

I was happy to get through the 5K without incident.  Things hurt that usually do not later that night, and combined with the 4 hour wrapping session, I was truly laid up.  Advil, Hot tub and percussion Massager did ease my pain... but then again, it could just simply be the distraction as the kids took my massager and tickled themselves silly.

Agony Extraordinaire: Nine Hammers

Today it was my pleasure to check out the latest offering from the minions at the Sufferlandrian Ministry of Educational Cycling and Agony.  Although it has been banned by the United Nations as an inhumane path, the Nine Hammers proves to be an excellent addition to the Sufferfest repertoire mixing in Threshold and Vo2 Max efforts with some simply brilliant high-def descends down from the top of the valley of the Nine Hammers.  Glory and Fame awaits all who can manage to make it through and the promise from the ministry is that your name will be carved in the lava flowing from Mt. Sufferlandria.

Rite of passage or simply one more in the endless list of tasks set out for you by the incensed Grunter vonAgony, no one is sure.  One thing is for certain, though, for the hour that you are in the hands of the team at Sufferfest, you will SUFFER.... and why, you ask?  Well for starters, beach bikes and baskests are for sunday afternoon baguettes and cheese... but, ultimately it is all about: 

IWBMATTKYT.  

So enough glad-handing and nice-nice.... let's get into this thing a look at all there is to the latest intallement from the people at Sufferfest.

As you are aware, I am working my way through all of the Sufferefest videos and Tri-Girl an I have just finished Revolver which would be the equivalent of about 1/2 way through their fantastic set of videos, so I am in no way a great source to comment on the graphics and the like, as they are quite different than what I am used to; however, as the years go by since their original offering of "Angels" which is  also being re-released with Nine Hammers with some updates (check the website for specifics) I am consistently impressed with the experience that these videos have to offer.

 So for me, I am always wondering what is in store for my morning?  Nothing can be clearer than the screen shot above.  It is agony extraordinaire.   Designed by Neal Henderson of Apex Coaching, this video takes no prisoners as it focuses on some serious VO2 MAX work combined with threshold efforts.

In the middle of 3:00 straight minutes of agony Grunter vonAgony shows up and "nails' you with a sledge.... you take the "pounding" with raw determination a grit.

This is exactly the leg numbing, fast spinning, breath shortening, eye popping, high definition agony that we have come to expect when we hit our trainers and look to the people at Sufferfest for guidance.  From the very beginning you get this sense that you are out for a really demeaning demanding ride.  We are all used to efforts involved in these videos...  20  minutes of intense climbing in The Hunted to the TT efforts of The Long Scream.  Here in Nine Hammers, though, you are really pushing the envelope of what you can take on a bike.  In an interesting twist of perception, you give so much in the VO2 MAX efforts, that you actually start to tolerate the threshold work.

... and what does the minister want?  He wants you to hit back and hit hard.

Then there's the "recovery" time.  This is simply nothing more than a hallucinated fancy that drifts by with luxurious visages of descents down Ventoux.  Lush and full of twitching corners and epic descents, these little vingettes drift by at such a rapid rate that you barley have enough time to get your breathing in control before that fucking gun goes off again and you are desperately trying to get your gearing right and your cadence strong.

I loved it.  You'll love it. It's hard work that you know will pay huge dividends come outdoor season.

Have a look.... here is the official preview:

Lush HD combined with moments of sheer terror

If I was to look at this particular video with a jaundiced eye and think a little critically, I might ask where the minions of Sufferlandria stand on cycling education.  This video is awesome; to that there is no doubt.  However, it could be just that much better if there was some thought to the realities of the  indoor rider.  Not all of us are ICU material.  At the start there is simply a lot of cadence and tempo changes, and it seemed that by the time you look down and figure our the gear ratio to get to 95 CAD at 8.0, the gun goes off and there is another change.   After some time, you figure out that a lot of this is accomplished by staying in the same gear and simply changing your cadence.  For my two cents, it really would have been nice to know that right at the start. I know its picky, but it was a bit of a bone of contention as I rode through the session.

Preidler encourages you to get in there and bridge that gap.

For time and money, I cannot think of a better more convenient way to train in the winter.  It's fantastic to be a member of a team and to meet with your buddies on the weekend, but when that scenario is simply impossible, these videos from Sufferfest, and Nine Hammers is no exception, take your mindless riding while you ogle your latest series on Netflix to a whole new level. And I have no doubt that when the snow is gone towards the end of  May and we return to the roads and trails to get our legs back, we will be strangely surprised at just how nimble our feet have become and how agile our lungs are as we push our suffering to a whole new level.

Here's my data:

For those of you faint of heart... thank you so much for reading and end your journey with me here. However if you have a bit of an iron stomach....... read on.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

I mean it....

So I suffered and put myself to the absolute test and came away with my name etched in the lava of Mt. Sufferlandria and I have the sweat equity to prove it.  

My head-band at the end of Nine Hammers.

So exuberant that I missed

So ... I may have skipped the workout Wednesday... but never fear, I was back in the pool today to give it a lunch-hour quickie!  I spent the morning talking about CPR and AED use and I was PUMPED!!!!  (see what I did there?  get it....?)

I literally ran into the pool and started my first set with a decent ferocity to make up for the complete lack of interest I had on Tuesday.  In fact, I was so exuberant, that I missed the lap button and almost shut the whole thing down.  I could tell it was a fast time and I really felt like I was being powered through the water.. GO LEGS!   I guess that is what you get when you hit the pool with relatively fresh legs.

Any how, I am very pleased with my time and I post it here with great exuberance!

..........  and in other news, my feverish readers, yours truly, Tri-Guy has been invited by the wonderful minions at Sufferfest to review their newest offering - Nine Hammers - due to be released to the public on December 18th.  I could not be more ecstatic.  So heads up, I will be riding this exciting new route this Sunday the 14th and again on the 17th to give you the first hints of its awesomeness and to hopefully offer up some insight into the next wicked sweat-soaked instalment from the wizards at the Sufferlandrian cycling works.

Not into it.

Back in the pool on a fairly blustery day.  It was one of those times you are not looking forward to it, but you go anyway.  I hit the water and I really was not it to it and thought about phoning it in and with a 4:51, you can tell that I basically did.... then I decided to try a set with just focusing on a big reach  and went even slower.... then I thought screw this and just put in a fast lap.... plus there was this guy two lans over strutting around like he was somthing.... something with a limp, mind you.

Any hooo.... times got better with competition and managed a 4:42.

Spontaneous Combustion

What can i say.... it's not the train that bothers me as much as after that 20 minute climb your are spent and this video is relentless with little to no rest until the last 5 minutes where you literally go so hard you think you are going to crack.  The sprint to the finish is relentless.... pretty sure I was on course to demonstrate spontaneous combustion. BOOM!  The last 200 m is something you will never forget as you feel like crying when you finally cross the finish line.

I've been meaning to add that on Sundays, I do about 20mins of core afterwards.  Typical set:  

1.   plank 30 sec, turn and side plank 30 sec with 10 leg lifts then back to front plank 30 sec then turn to opposite side plank 30 sections with 10 leg lifts then front plank 30 sec.

2.  3x10 dead leg lifts from the floor to knees to chest and back without heels touching the floor.

3.  3x10 crunches.

4.  3x10 sit-ups.

On a side note, I compared my data from the last time I did this video (Nov 9) and I was intrigued to see that I went 1.6K farther today and had a higher AVG HR and faster AVG Speed, yet burned fewer calories.  Hmmmm.... 

Just to fuck with you

What can I say that has not ben said already.... get a bucket, I think I threw up in my mouth a little... seriously. 

I did a 30 some odd minute warm up (see lap splits) and then into Revolver.  This video is the epitome of suffer.  After what seems to be a very brief warm up (actually 7:30) you turn the corner to stare down the barrel of 15 on minute sprint sets 9/10 effort at 100CAD with an easily evaporated 1:00 rest.  A I said to Tri-Girl, after the first three you really start to wonder if you can hold that effort for another 12 sets and you start to second guess you gear choice.  You tell yourself just one more and then I will re-evaluate and then you find yourself sticking to it for one more and then one more and then.... well, you tell yourself, there is only three more.... you can do it... and..... you do.  BUT... then just to fuck with you, they throw in one more just to see what you are made of.... well... I am made of sweat and whatever that other gunk is that I coughed up at the end.

Oh, a special thank you to the people at MEC for my GSC10 that arrived yesterday.  It is nice to have data. I like data.