August Summary

The miles accumulated pretty quickly. It wasn’t a massive month but it was pretty solid in comparison to everything else. I started the 22 Pushups for Veterans challenge and fell off the wagon, I’ll try again! Upper body strength for 22 pushups is not a bad thing!

September may have a few surprises in store!

I also picked up a few Birthday Treats!

I have been eyeing all of these for a while, the Fly 12 and 6 is an oboard light/camera combo…just in case! Here’s Ray’s review. The Shimano shoes have dropped in price with 2017 models coming out and my Giro Trans have been making my toes go numb on long rides! No idea why this is happening, the shoes have been in rotation since December last year and have over 5700 miles on them!

30 Day of Outside Summary

So 30 consecutive days of riding outside. For someone who spends a lot of time on the Trainer in the garage this was quite a challenge. Added to which work, life, family and all that good stuff that conspires to get in the way would always make this tricky! That said with the days long and warm and no structured training on the agenda it seemed a great time to give it a go!

Here are the key metrics;

• 32 Rides
• 860.22 miles
• 59:00:33 hours
• 56,444’ elevation gain

Here is the rest from Garmin Connect;

I’ll keep the summary brief and put it in bullet points;

Routes; I’ve mentioned before that the same routes got old really fast. Everywhere out from out neighborhood requires a climb and then you have to climb to get back, sounds weird right! Time limitations also bracket you into riding the same routes. Being able to throw the bike in the car and ride something new would have added variety but life is not like that. In the end it was good mental training and with the added benefit of Strava Segments on my Garmin Edge 810 I was able to test myself on the same routes.

Bike Skills; the downside of riding your trainer is that your bike skills deteriorate, at least mine do. At the start of the 30 days I was a bit rusty, by the end I was a lot more confident on the descents. While I can climb up most things and pass a lot of folks on the way coming down is always a challenge and you can’t call yourself a climber unless you can come back down!

Bike familiarity; my road bike has plenty of miles, well over 15,000 now. It’s been lovingly looked after and upgraded. Most recently the full Dura Ace 9000 groupset was added. Getting to know all the quirks and clicks of the bike provides peace of mind and lets you know the good news and the bad news! I had a seat go bad on me and it was driving me bonkers with it’s creaking, something you wouldn’t hear on a trainer with headphones on!

Tan Lines; yep these got super sharp! With that said sunscreen and lot’s of it was used, Southern California can get toasty for sure! But it’s not just about the heat, cold mornings and windy days made for some conscious thought in the wardrobe department!

Laundry; seeing as I mentioned wardrobe. I doubled my laundry! In a garage you need bibs and socks. On the road, it’s that plus jersey, base layer, gloves, skull cap, maybe a vest, maybe armwarmers! It soon adds up! Little and often is a golden rule!

So that’s that then. onwards to the next challenge!

Thirty Days of Outside; Days 27 – 30 +1

The end! Jeepers this became a bit gritty at the end, more driven by the lack of variety than anything else. There are days where Becca and I feel that we live on a hill surrounded by hills. We ride up to get out of the neighborhood and we ride up to get back…some days this just sucks!

Anyway enough whining!

Monday; a quick spin on the mountain bike to pick up some Pokemon! Mostly a recovery ride

Tuesday; day ran away from me so a single speed spin to the park!

Wednesday; more of the same! I just couldn’t roll down the hill!

Thursday; flamed out with a whimper!

Friday; got my head back in the game, strapped on my big boy bibs and hit the roads for a quick after work TGIF blast!

Saturday; off

Sunday; Birthday ride, Out and back through Somis, nice outbound, got a bit toasty coming back! Bike is creaky...service time soon!

So that was that, like I said at the end it just got gritty due to lack of variety.

So all in all a pretty quiet week. But that was really the plan after a big week and that’s what lets the training soak in!

LVL Hydration Monitor Giveaway

You may remember my review of the BSX Insight from last year. Well the folks that brought you that have a new product coming to market soon, the LVL Hydration Monitor.

In advance of the product launch they are running a giveaway where you can pick up some great prizes, here’s the scoop.

Whether your train to live or live to train, sweat with confidence and make sure you’re staying properly hydrated. Brought to you by our friends at Camelbak, Castelli, GU, Jaybird, Nuun, Outdoor Voices, Recon, Strava, Wahoo, and more.

One grand prize winner will be randomly selected at the end of the giveaway. Want to increase your chances of winning? Share with your friends for a chance to win one of 10 additional prizes (valued at over $200) from these same great companies. The more you share, the better your chances of winning!

To enter simply follow this link. Once there complete the form and you’re all set. Once logged into the entry form, you’ll be able to enter in several ways:

• Referring a friend
• Visiting them on Facebook
• Joining the Sweaty Summer mailing list
• Following them on Twitter
• Tweeting a message to them, just copy; “Enter the Ultimate Sweaty Summer GIVEAWAY http://www.onelvl.com/giveaway/ Win $2,500 in fitness products from @BSXtech Brought to you by @Quadrathon”

(Hint: you can boost your chances with additional entries!)

Five runner-up winners will also be selected from our greatest social champions to receive over $200 in goodies from the same great companies and other exclusive swag.

The giveaway ends September 12, 2016 at 11:59pm. When time expires, we’ll choose the winners, email them directly, and announce them on social media.

Good luck!

Thirty Days of Outside; Days 21 – 26

Phew, well what started out as a slow week was definitely backended! What started with a gentle ease in definitely went out with a bang! Here’s the deets;

Monday. Quick Spin on the dirt, a change is as good as a rest!

Tuesday. A local loop with some small hill repeats to work on my KOM placing…you do it too! Just admit it, you’re among friends!

Wednesday. Tried something different and went out on a three hill climb, nothing major but enough on tired legs. It would be nice to get this loop down to 1:30. I am at the mercy of traffic lights as there are few left turns but it’s something to work towards. Followed up in the evening with a quick Pokemon hunt!

Thursday. Another diferent loop in a completely new part of town to ride around. Possible site of an Everesting with a 2 mile climb that picks up 507’ of gain. I would only need to ride it 56 or so times! So assuming 3 laps an hour that’s 20 hours!

Friday. The shortest ride ever to keep the stroke alive!

Saturday. After basically a rest day yesterday, I rode a usual loop for time and pushed as hard as I could. I did pretty well and pick up a basket of Strava bling, not that that is what it’s about but it’s a good indicator of what’s happening!

Sunday. A big day on the hills. Rode the last two climbs in the Santa Monica Mountain Challenge. These rank as the two hardest and I was suffering in the hills and heat. My Garmin topped out at around 104f! That said I have come to the conclusion that the case keeps it warmer and cooler, basically acting as an insulating shield. But 92 miles and 7500’ of gain is exactly that!

So that was the week, the end of the 30 days is in sight!