September in the bag…

My numbers are on the upswing again, mostly from being back on the bike, throwing some swimming into the mix; a sign of things to come!

• 325 total miles (+109 over August)
• 35:07 time, so about 7 hours a week (around a 90 minute per week gain)
• 151 miles running in 20:47 (August 149/20:28)
• 171 miles cycling in 9:45 ( August 59/3:38)
• 5150 yards (zero in June, July and August) swimming….yes swimming
• Remaining time was stretching, foam rolling, P90X Ab Ripper and a bit of yoga!
• Longest ride 35 miles – 1:50 back to back Sufferfests
• Longest run 20.25 – 3:03
• Starting weight 166.8lb ending 167lb (from 187 at end of April)
• Three rest days…last one was 9/4!

A couple of notable highs, I nailed my marathon pace 15 miler, finishing it in 1:47, pulled in a couple of 10 milers at a 7:00 pace, I am getting closer and closer to clocking a sub 6:00 mile…haven’t done that in nearly 30 years and my average running pace for the entire month was 7:12! On the bike I rode back-to-back Sufferfests and talking of which I was inducted in the Sufferlandrian National Team...go team!

And so October begins…

Review; The Sufferfest A Very Dark Place

At face value A Very Dark Place would be a fitting description of my pain locker; a quiet house, I’m in the garage, the lights are off, it’s o’dark o’clock, the reflection of my Garmin providing that ghostly illumination of the grimace on my face as I adopt that 1000 yard stare gazing deep into the monitor with images that taunt me…

However the really dark place is the tunnel that your are led down with another ass kicking ride from the Sufferfest. This time it breaks you down like this:

• 5:00 warm-up, with Asian racing footage from a member of the OCBC-Singapore National Team
• 2×30 sprints, from start line of the OCBC Cycle Singapore professional criterium
• 1:30 rest, because we’re not totally merciless
• 5 x 4:00 sprints- with 3:00 rest between each interval. Each interval features pro-racing:
  • Solo breakaway in Paris-Nice
  • Small group breakaway in Fleche-Wallone
  • Joining Gilbert and the Schlecks as they attack in Liege-Bastogne-Liege
  • Following Cancellara – and trying to beat him – in Paris-Roubaix
  • Holding onto Wiggins and crew in Criterium du Dauphine
• 4:00 recovery with some vintage cycling footage

Footage as always is a mix of the best classics; local crits and some breathtaking vistas for the rest intervals. The joy, the nice thing, the masochistic reality of each interval is that they each ask you for something different, climbs, sprints, breakaways, pursuits, attacks, bridging from the peloton to the leaders, there is a little bit of everything for everyone to generate that bitter, acidic, metallic taste in you mouth! In addition to classic races and scenery you get to hang out with the big boys; Phillipe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, Thor Hushovd and Bradley Wiggins.

IWBMATTKYAT!

Seriously though as the nights (at least in the northern hemisphere) close in and cyclists, triathletes and runners are relegated to their garages, dens, spare bedrooms or pain lockers the option for engaging, effective and realistically priced training on their ever most favorite piece of equipment; the trainer.The Sufferfest provides all of these with a nice bow on! Easily downloaded, although be patient it’s nearly a 3GB data file, you can be up and riding in less that 10 minutes from parting with the $12.00.

AVDP is the seventh video from the Sufferfest and, as with the preceding six, asks something different from you…the question is can you answer?

Wordless Wednesday…ouch!