Bicycle, Bicycle......

I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike, I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it where I like.........Like Nice France in June 2012. I haven't been able to run since the Leadville 100 as I've tweaked my left foot and not certain what the issue is at this point...maybe plantar fasciitis....maybe achilles issue at the point of insertion...maybe a bone spur(s). The symptoms are a pinching pain on the right base side of the heel when stretched, also the 3 middle toes are numb on occasion and sometimes feel like I've got a small lump in the soft middle padding of my left foot. Hmmm....not certain, so headed off to see Dr. Stark in the next week, or as soon as I can get in.

The pain hasn't stopped me from riding my bike, however, it seems as the riding my bike contributes to the numbness of the three middle toes. I've experienced this before and it kind of comes and goes. Gotta do more research on contributing factors, possible diagnoses and potential exercises to rehab it....much more to follow.

On Friday On got in a late afternoon 20 mile ride on the FB2PRO, a fast bike. It was my first time on the TTbike in months. My last bike experience was in the Leadville 100M MTB race, when I DNF'd at mile 60 after 8 hours and 15 minutes. That's a long time on a bike......So after a long break from the bike and a 2 week break from really any exercise per se, I hopped on my bike and gave it a go. Didn't push super hard, but in the 98F heat and afternoon winds, my average pace was a little of 17MPH. On this track I usually average 18-20MPH, depending on the conditions as well as my goals for the ride.

Yesterday, I stepped it up and got in a 40 mile ride. I left at about 2PM when the mercury was bubbling up to 100F. It was sunny. It was hot. At about mile 3 I flatted my back tire and skidded of the road into a field as i was cornering a turn at about 25MPH. For those of you that have experience this, it's a little scary at first, especially when in aero position as your hands are away from the brakes. Because you're not expecting to flat, your first thoughts are always one of confusion and wondering if you're hitting a rough patch on the road. Sometimes, if you're lucky you'll hear a bang or pop sound which alerts you of a flat, but most of the time, that doesn't happen. So without a tree in sight, I proceeded to change out the flat as I baked in the sun....not a good way to start my ride. It took me 2 CO2 cartridges to fill the new tube as I had issues with the stem extender. Once fixed, after about 10 minutes, I got back on the bike and hoped for the best.

Overall it was a good ride, i consumed about 35 Oz of water with Heed. I had plenty of energy, my HR averaged about 130BPM and minus the tire change it took me about 2 hours to go 40 miles. There were tough head winds on the out and on the back I had an occasional tail wind, but cross winds seemed to prevail and it made for a long back. I was dehydrated from the heat and needed more water. On a day like this I should be consuming 30 oz/hr to avoid dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

So let's talk about the saddle....clearly the weak link in my chain....my butt is not saddle worthy yet. I know that I have to start back up the 1 hour per day spin classes in Denver to get both my bike legs and butt back into shape to handle the long rides. As I begin to prepare for IM Nice, France I need to review my bike training and technique so that I can conquer the rolling hills and climbs that the French Riviera will throw at me. I suffered for 7 hours on the bike in Lanzarote and I need to be off it in 5:30 in France....this will be a tall task...and will require a thoughtful training plan.

Today, I'm headed up to the gyn with Jack to shoot some hoops and jump in the pool for a 30 minute swim. I haven't been in the pool in months so this will be interesting. I'm going to need to get serious this winter in the pool so I can get my swim times down in the 1:15 range, which I know I can do if I drop a few pounds and get my butt in pool at least 3-4 days a week.

It all sounds good right now....time will tell.

Cheers!