Getting My Legs Back

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade....

That's what I've always been told.  However, experience has taught me that without life giving you water and sugar as well, your lemonade is going to suck.  As you know, I have recently gotten back into cycling, and have decided that I will embrace it being a lifestyle and not just a hobby.  I had to wait forever for my bike to get here, then I started riding and found that while I still could ride a decent distance, I was a good bit away from my previous 18-19mph training average speed.  As I was starting to build back up to that point, a car turned in front of me and a crash ensued.  The bike was at the shop out of commission, so I started to run to maintain a level of activity.  After a few days running, my knees were so sore I could barely walk, and I had blisters on my feet the size of dimes.  When I got word that insurance was going to cover my loss, and ultimately give my damaged bike back, I immediately stopped running.

My desire had been to get a throw down bike and buy my old trainer back from a friend so that I would not be affected by any inclement weather through the winter.  Well, thanks to Progressive, I now had that throw down bike (a 2015 S-Works Red Tarmac).  I wasn't 100% confident in its ability to survive road rides, and one of the wheels was out of true (unable to correct), but I felt comfortable having it on the trainer.  My next call was to Phil to make sure he didn't mind parting with the trainer I had sold him back in November.  For some reason, he seemed overjoyed to get rid of that contraption, and sell it back to me.  When he said that he had only used it one time, and still had everything, I bought it back from him for what I sold it to him for no questions asked.  He just loaned me a little bit of money for a few months and housed the trainer for me.

That ugly red tire is the trainer tire which is used only with a trainer.

I wasted no time in getting the bike stripped of all the road gear, and got the trainer dedicated tire installed.  I did a quick wash of the trainer equipment since it had been sitting idle for a while and got everything built together in the office.  It wasn't quite the pain cave I had intended originally, but that would have necessitated moving out of the garage to make room for everything in there.  Since it was still rather warm outside, I opted to stay inside to benefit from the A/C a little bit.

Kind of familiar since this was where I had the trainer before.

Well, for not a whole lot of money (none when you really look at it), I had my trainer bike.  This was actually quite a good thing for my cycling.  While I would much rather have been outside riding and enjoying the scenery, this was going to make for a much better arrangement to get back to the fitness level I had once enjoyed.  I learned a very valuable lesson over the winter of 2012.  I could see more benefit from shorter rides, and in a quicker amount of time on the trainer.  Intervals was where it was at!  This was going to be my recovery plan from all the months leading a sedentary lifestyle.  I would do intervals until my new bike got here, and would continue do do them when the weather would not allow me to ride outside.  I had a training plan, and I knew that it would work.  It would also allow me to finally do the S-Works justice when I was riding it out in the world.

First day on the trainer, very determined to make it work out

My first go at the trainer was slow, and I could feel that my lungs and legs were nowhere near where they needed to be.  At the end of an hour worth of intervals, I was averaging in the mid 14's which seemed about right from what I had seen on my road rides.  It seemed to me that for some reason, my trainer averages are always about 2 mph slower than real world conditions.  This is a good thing, because it keeps me motivated to try and reach my road ride speeds.

I take my intervals very seriously, and use them as building blocks for my real rides.  I know from experience that hours on the trainer equate to better speeds, more power in sprints, better climbing, and oddly enough, my endurance goes through the roof with the constant barrage of pedaling for an hour or more.  In the first week of riding the trainer, I had increased my average speed noticeably, and had starting using the big ring and hammering the larger gears.  I went for six days in a row before taking a rest day.  That was almost 100 miles in a week of just pedaling.  That is pretty good for trainer work, and I was already starting to tell a difference in my body.

My legs were firming up nicely, and I noticed that I still had that "V" shaped definition in the rear of my calf muscle.  It was becoming more pronounced the more I spun on the trainer.  My lungs were starting to adapt to the workload, and my heart rate seemed to be dropping a little bit even though the performance was increasing.  Most importantly though, was I was slimming down.  It was a visible change, but not a numbers change.  I could tell that my clothes were fitting better, and more like I remembered them fitting before.  My weight, however, wasn't reflecting that change.  I had started the month at a hefty 201lbs, and had crested to 205lbs after a week of road riding and extreme hydration.  After a week on the trainer, I was back to 201lbs, and well into my next week I had dropped to an even 200lbs.  Essentially, since getting back on the bike I had dropped a single pound.  However, with the muscle I was developing in my legs, (weighs more than fat), I could only imagine how much fat I had lost in the last few weeks.  While the number is important for climbing on the bike, I wasn't overly concerned with it right now because I knew my body composition was changing, and my metabolism was increasing.  These were all the things that I was wanting to happen.

You can see the determination in my eyes...or possession, I'm not sure which.

With seeing these improvements, I was even more dedicated to getting everything that I could out of the trainer.  I pushed myself, sometimes to the point of nearly passing out.  Every hour I spent on the bike was preparing me for when I again starting riding the roads.  I want my first ride to feel familiar, and that means an 18mph average over 50 miles.  That is a long way from the 15 avg I had on my first ride a month ago.  I really think that I can make it happen though, it will just be a matter of being determined and focused.


As it turns out, my crash wasn't entirely a bad thing.  Progressive made me whole again and allowed me to completely replace all the crash related property.  I was also able to keep the damaged stuff to use for the trainer.  With that little bit of water and sugar added, I was able to make some rather tasty lemonade which I am drinking up glass after glass!

I've had a little bit of time to think about what 2015 holds for me in terms of riding.  My initial goal was just going to be getting back in the swing gradually and planning on riding just one event ride for the year.  Now that I have a trainer and the ability to supercharge my fitness levels, I am looking at possibly doing more than that.  My tentative plans are as follows:

April: The Assault on the Carolinas, depending on my weight at the time of the ride.  You see, this is the one with a Cat 1 climb up Caesar's Head State Park.  I've done it once, and know about where I need to be to do it again.  This one is up in the air until much closer to the ride time, but I would really like to do the 100K in the mountains again.

June:  Double Down to the Beach.  This one is a little easier to predict since I have more time to actually log road miles.  It is an extreme endurance event covering over 200 miles in a single day.  It is one that I have done before, and if I could do it again, I would know that I am right back where I left off fitness wise.  It is a very time consuming proposition, but it makes for one hell of a ride.

July:  A Ride to Remember.  This one is an important one for me and I will do everything that I can to make it happen.  It is a three day event that covers the state of South Carolina from border to border with three different rides (100, 80, 62 miles).  Looking at the elevation profiles, these will not be that difficult compared to other rides I have taken.  More importantly though, it is to benefit Alzheimer's Research which is a subject near and dear to Toni's heart.  There have been family members of hers who have been diagnosed with this disease, and have since passed.  I want to ride this ride in their memory, and to show my support for the research that might one day impact our lives directly.

October: This will be the Carolina Century which I rode for the first time in 2013.  Its a great century route and benefits MS research.  I was actually planning on doing this ride this year until the bike got messed up.  That should round out a pretty good year of riding.


Now we just play the waiting game to see when the new bike comes in.  Until then I have been outfitting it a little bit different in my head, and have started to get a collection of new accessories. One of the most important ones is the addition of a headlight which I intend on using on all rides regardless of lighting conditions.  I want to be seen this time!  I'm also going to a small saddle bag and trying to work out the best option for extra water bottles behind the seat.  The new bike will be set up very similarly to my first bike, and will be equipped for long rides because I can see that is where I am going to be focusing.

In addition to the bike equipment, I will be changing some of my own clothing equipment as well.  I have already upgraded my shoes to the S-Works version which is supposed to be quite a bit more comfortable, and little bit stiffer (help in climbing Caesar's Head).  The closure system should also allow for more fine tuning on my foot for those long rides.  Finally, I have decided to make the move to bib shorts.  For years I have used cycling shorts exclusively with no problems.  My research has found that bibs are much more comfortable over the long haul, and most cyclists ultimately make the move.  Since all of my shorts are starting to show their age, I have already bought one pair of bibs with a matching jersey for that full kit look.  Hey, I like being stylish in my spandex!  It is high contrast red and black which should make for decent visibility for motorists.  So far I like them, but haven't ridden the bike in my full kit yet.  I'm going to wait until a long road ride to give them a try.

Back to the trainer.........