Took yesterday off as a recovery day. I'd done about 125 miles and almost 8 hrs in the saddle since Monday, so I didn't feel too bad about taking a day off. The rest did me quite a bit of good. I rode the same course I rode Tuesday, and took over 15 min. out of Tuesday's time. The route can be seen here.
I knew things were going well when I reached the junction of Avery Drive and SH 51 (about mile 7.5 on the linked map) with an average speed of 18 mph. Turned onto 51, grabbed my drops and cruised between 19.5 mph and 20.5 mph for the next 4-4.5 mi. The long climb beginning at mile 12 and the shorter climb which followed it knocked my average speed down to 18.0 mph from a max of 18.4 mph. Didn't have to use the granny ring of my triple, though.
Crossed Keystone Dam and cruised at about 18-19 mph on the flat section from mile 18 to 23. Average speed climbed to about 18.2, which I managed to hold through the rollers on Avery Drive (about mile 27.5 through 31 on the map). By this time I'm beginning to feel the strain, and my average slips back to 18.1 by the time I reach the end of the mapped course.
I rode (and counted in my mileage and time) about 2.25 miles each way to get to the start of the mapped route, which brought my total mileage up to 39.5 miles for the ride.
Time for the ride was 2:10:39. Average speed 18.1 mph. Maximum speed was 38.1 mph. Average heart rate was 151 (80% of max). Maximum heart rate was 172 (91% of max).
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Fat Cells Are Like Bacteria
When you treat bacterial infections with antibiotics, the surviving bacteria pass their resistance on to their offspring, producing a strain of bacteria that is resistant, or even immune to the antibiotic used. Fat cells seem to behave the same way when subjected to diet and/or exercise programs. They eventually become resistant to whatever you're doing. Bodybuilders have known this for years. They even have an acronym describing the problem. S.A.I.D., or Specific Adaptation to Increased Demand.
The only solution to the problem is to vary your diet, your exercise routine, or both. Once you have a sound aerobic base, you can branch out into strength training, aerobic activities that work other muscle groups, etc. A cyclist might add swimming, or even (shudder) running to his training program.
Diet can be tailored to the exercise program's variations. You could mix a low-carb diet with a week of primarily weight workouts. A high-carb, low-fat diet would go well with a week of long bike rides. The idea is to keep your metabolism from settling into a routine until you've reached your target weight.
The only solution to the problem is to vary your diet, your exercise routine, or both. Once you have a sound aerobic base, you can branch out into strength training, aerobic activities that work other muscle groups, etc. A cyclist might add swimming, or even (shudder) running to his training program.
Diet can be tailored to the exercise program's variations. You could mix a low-carb diet with a week of primarily weight workouts. A high-carb, low-fat diet would go well with a week of long bike rides. The idea is to keep your metabolism from settling into a routine until you've reached your target weight.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Today's Ride
39.5 mi. by my bike's computer. That makes 81 miles so far this week. The route I took can be seen here. The mapped route is about 35 mi., plus about 4.4 mi. from my home and back. Total time 2:26:49. Average speed about 16 mph.
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