The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 54

Its been a while since I rode on consecutive days, and the difference between today and yesterday was quite evident. The pace was still quick, but I honestly don't know if I had another 7+ miles in me like I did last night. Simply put, I was starting to force it, and that's never a good thing. Reason prevailed, and I stopped once I hit "respectable" status. Again, a clear sign that I am getting away from the "all or nothing" mentality and using some common sense.

Time: 1:00:20

Distance: 15.5 miles

Avg. speed: 15.3 mph

Max. speed: 23.0 mph

Music: The Killers - Live From The Royal Albert Hall

Relevant lyric: ". . . decades disappear like sinking ships, but we persevere . . ."

Miles to March 2010 goal: 33.43

Days to March 2010 goal: 5

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 23:15:26

Distance: 326.69 miles

Avg. speed: 14.05 mph

___________________

This marks the first time my average speed has crept over 14 mph, so obviously I am getting faster as I go along. Thank you, Dr. Science. As far as a measurable stat goes, that one is pretty key when it comes to cycling.

Again, no Gullet Report, because even though it's after 3 PM, I haven't eaten anything yet, and since I'm diabetic, I should go go eat something before I fall over.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 53

Barenaked Ladies said it best - "it's been one week since I . . ."

Speaking of Barenaked Ladies, their new album "All in Good Time" is very good, and I highly recommend it.

But I digress . . .

I knew there would be some off days with my vacation and work travel over the last week, but I was really hoping to sneak in a ride or two. Alas, it wasn't to be, and even though I'm a little bummed out, it isn't the kind of thing that would have derailed previous efforts. Before now, it would have been a total momentum killer, and the Experiment would have been over. Not anymore. Shrug it off and get back on, and that's what I did tonight. It's all about realistic goals and expectations, and I have managed to keep those in perspective.

Time: 1:28:52

Distance: 22.68 miles

Avg. speed: 15.3 mph

Max. speed: 19.7 mph

Music: Barenaked Ladies - All in Good Time and Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Me

Relevant lyric: "I'm a walking advertisement for everything I never meant to be"

Miles to March 2010 goal: 48.93

Days to March 2010 goal: 6

To take 8 days off and be able to jump and crank out a pretty fast 22+ miles is astounding to me, and it solidifies my feeling that I am turning the corner on being physically fit again.

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 22:15:06

Distance: 311.19 miles

Avg. speed: 13.98 mph

____________________

No Gullet Report report right now - I haven't had dinner yet. And in case I don't come back and edit this post, I will disclose that I stopped at Wendy's and had a spicy chicken sandwich and chili (instead of fries - it's all about choices) for lunch, with a Dr. Pepper, because who doesn't love a Dr. Pepper every now and then?

An added bonus - I thought I had 86+ miles to go to reach goal, but it was only 71+. Nice. That takes a little of the pressure off.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 44

Last night took a lot out of me, but I think the worst of my illness is over. I managed some good distance at a respectable albeit slower pace, and I was able to do it without coughing up a lung membrane or something. Nice.

Time: 1:03:49

Distance: 15.28 miles

Avg. speed: 14.3 mph

Max speed: 22.6 mph

Music: Greg Laswell - Take A Bow

Relevant lyric: ". . . go ahead and take everything . . ."

Miles to March 2010 goal: 71.61

Days to March 2010 goal: 15

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 20:46:14

Distance: 288.51 miles

Avg. speed: 13.89 mph

____________________

**THE GULLET REPORT**

8 AM coffee

12 PM general tso's chicken, fried rice, Coke

7 PM 20 oz Gatorade G2 (during ride)

8 PM corned beef on rye, iced tea

The next ride should put me over 300 miles. It would be cool to hit goal this weekend because I travel for work next week, but that's not too realistic. I'll give it a shot though - I continue to amaze myself during these last few weeks.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 43

My cold has rendered me useless for the last 3 days, but I am an idiot, so tonight I got on the bike and hammered out miles like a fool.

I would have been happy with 10 miles at any pace, but once I got started, sheer stubborn stupidity took over and I started cranking.

Time: 57:15

Distance: 15.04 miles

Avg. speed: 15.7 mph

Max. speed: 18.4 mph

Music: Howard Jones - Best of Howard Jones

Relevant lyric: "This is an answer to every question, this is a place to begin."

Miles to March 2010 goal: 86.89

Days to March 2010 goal: 16

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 19:42:25

Distance: 273.23 miles

Avg. speed: 13.86 mph

____________________

**THE GULLET REPORT**

8:00 AM coffee

11:45 AM BBQ chicken salad, iced tea

3:00 PM Diet Vernors

5:30 PM 20 oz Gatorade G2 (during ride)

7:30 PM pizza, bread sticks, & beer

All evil food and beverage will be posted in red to call attention my failures.

It's halfway through the month and I am almost 20 miles ahead of pace to make the goal of 210 miles for the month, and that's with rampant sickness. Not too shabby.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 41

Today was miserable. My sinus issues have developed into a cold, and I struggled to barely make it as far as I did. But dammit - I rode, a good sign that this is developing into a commitment instead of a hope that it continues.

Time: 48:57

Distance: 11.32 miles

Avg. speed: 13.8 mph

Max. speed: 27.3 mph

Music: We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls

Miles to March 2010 goal: 101.93

Days to March 2010 goal: 18

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 18:45:10

Distance: 258.19 miles

Avg. speed: 13.77 mph

____________________

No Gullet Report today. As bad as I feel, I won't eat much anyway.

Bleh.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 38

Sunday, I wrote that I need to string more consecutive days together and get off the every other day schedule I've worked myself into. And then I took 2 days off. No excuses - just stating the obvious - but I really do need to get my shit together. I think the daily journals for the Gullet Report will help pull all of this together.

And then tonight I screwed up my bike computer and it measured everything in kilometers. I lack focus. I lack discipline. I need Mr. Miyagi.

Time: 1:16:34

Distance: 18.29 miles

Avg. speed: 14.29 mph

Max. speed: 14.4 mph

Music: Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been

Relevant lyric: "Hey pig . . . yeah you"

Miles to March 2010 goal: 128.38

Days to March 2010 goal: 21

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 16:56:55

Miles: 231.74 miles

Avg. speed: 13.67 mph

____________________

Other than that, I got nothin'.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Introducing "The Gullet Report"

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 is going great, at least the actual bike riding part anyway. However, despite my best intentions, I can’t get on track with the other half of the weight loss equation – my diet.

Essentially, I eat a lot of crappy food and drink a lot of crappy beverage. Fast food, sodas (although I have managed to curtail the beast called Mt. Dew by a respectable margin), ice cream, carbs, enriched flour, gas station hot dogs, high fructose corn syrup – you name it. If it’s been blacklisted by some publication somewhere, I eat it.

I am flabbergasted (great word) that I can just flip an internal switch and start cranking out miles, but I can’t reel in my obviously poor dietary choices. So, in the time-honored method of Thoreau and Emerson, I took to time to ponder the situation, and I arrived at a rather stark and simple solution: accountability.

What is it I’m doing with the bike that I’m not doing with the refrigerator? After every ride, I proudly post the results on this blog, whereas after every snack or meal, there is at least some part of it, if not all of it that I wish I didn’t eat. I tout my successes, but I hide my failures. I’m a hypocrite!

The whole reason I decided to publicize the bike progress on this blog was accountability. Good or bad, the world (or at least the handful of people who actually read it) will know how long I rode and how far I went. What they won’t know is that I ate a #6 from Wendy’s and a pint of ice cream when I got off the bike.

Before all this, I was just a fat bastard. Now, I’m a fat bastard who can ride 20 miles pretty fast on his bike. It’s a vicious (albeit tasty) circle. I have no idea how many calories I take in, or even how many I burn during a ride, so who the hell knows if I am burning more than I am consuming?

So, today I announce a new feature to the Experiment called “The Gullet Report”, a daily recap of everything I shoved into my pie hole that day. At the risk of making my blog entries look like a screen shot of CNN, it must be done.

Do I want to admit a trip to the vending machine for a cherry-cheese Danish? Followed by a bucket sized mocha caramel from Biggby Coffee? Hell no. So, if I know I have to fess up later, the likelihood of doing so is greatly diminished or perhaps even eliminated entirely. Vain, yet effective.

I have managed to lose a few pounds, and I did buy new pants a size smaller and took some in to my tailor to get taken in, so this isn’t all for naught. But, it should be a lot more given the physical effort I’ve put in so far. After I turned 40, I vowed to lose 40 pounds by my next birthday in December, and as I have proven, physical exercise alone is not enough.

The Gullet Report will debut tomorrow, because I have already eaten too much crap today that I didn’t write down. I will keep a detailed journal of everything I eat and drink, and you can cheer me or jeer me as you see fit.

I’m out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 35

First, a clarification from the post of Day 33. I originally thought Karen had a morning appointment and that I would ride in the morning while she was gone. Well, she didn't, so I didn't, and there it is.

And now, Day 35. I am pleased about tonight's ride for 2 reasons: the distance, and more importantly, the time. I must be improving, because I am getting better at maintaining a higher average speed for farther and farther distances.

Time: 1:18:39

Distance: 20.11 miles

Avg. speed: 15.3 mph

Max. speed: 19.3 mph

Music: Thompson Twins - Into the Gap (Deluxe Edition)

Relevant lyric: " . . . no rest for the wicked, and we're all too scared to stop . . ."

Miles to March 2010 goal: 146.67

Days to March 2010 goal: 24

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 15:40:21

Distance: 213.45 miles

Avg. speed: 13.62 mph

____________________

I have crossed the 200 mile threshold, and my ass is finally used to sitting in that tiny seat. That's no joke - it is seriously a quite painful process and I am beyond relieved that it's over. It's bad enough to be a motivation to keep riding so I don't have to do it again.

I have been operating on just about an every other day schedule, so the next step is to string some consecutive days together. I've done this the right way so far by keeping early expectations realistic, and I'm happy with the steady progression tactic I've used.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 33

There was a time where the last thing I would do on a Friday night is exercise, especially on a gorgeous day/night after a cold, snowy February. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I am not going to kick 40's ass sitting on a bar stool.

So, after a sensible dinner of flank steak and salad, I jumped on to see what I could muster, because I haven't ridden right after a meal yet in this Experiment. I've always eaten after the ride. Suffice it to say, it worked out well. Nice distance, nice pace - nice ride.

Time: 59:43

Distance: 15.06 miles

Avg. speed: 15.1 mph

Max. speed: 25.6 mph

Music: Editors - In This Light and On This Evening and We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls

Relevant lyric: "right foot, followed by a left foot"

Miles to March 2010 goal: 166.78

Days to March 2010 goal: 26

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 14:21:42

Distance: 193.34 miles

Avg. speed: 13.45 mph

____________________

I am less than 7 miles away from 200 thus far, and while that is very cool, I am more focused on the monthly goal. If I make that, the total mileage numbers will take care of themselves.

Now I get to see how my recovery time is improving, because my next ride is less than 10 hours away. Say good night, Alice.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 31

Awesome ride tonight! I should have stuck it out a couple more miles to get the big number, but it was time for dinner, and my beloved Vancouver Canucks are on TV tonight against the despised Detroit Redwings.

Even an hour+ into the ride, I wasn't breathing hard and my legs were just starting to get a little sore. I've felt that my progress had flattened out a little bit, so hopefully that is a good sign. The goal was a little longer ride and a little slower pace, and it worked out well.

Time: 1:17:18

Distance: 18.08 miles

Avg. speed: 14.0 mph

Max. speed: 16.9 mph

Music: Tool - 10,000 Days

Relevant lyric: ". . . no obvious physical trauma, vitals are stable . . ."

Miles to March 2010 goal: 181.84

Days to March 2010 goal: 28

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 13:21:59

Distance: 178.28 miles

Avg. speed: 13.33 mph

____________________

The bike is getting noisy, so some maintenance is in order for this weekend. The chain just needs a little lubricant, is all. Ain't no thang.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 29

Back in the saddle after a 4 day hiatus. No excuses - I let life get in the way and didn't manage this project the right way. I managed to make it almost 4 weeks before I lost the handle for a few days, but 4 day breaks just can't happen. It's a momentum killer, and now I have ground to make up.

The only "plus" was that some fresh legs allowed me to tear off a rather quick ride, but I need to further and longer to meet the goal for March (more on that below).

Time: 37:30

Miles: 10.08 miles

Avg. speed: 16.1 mph

Max. speed: 23.4 mph

Music: Ministry - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste

Relevant lyric: "it kicks you in the face and sucks you dry"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 12:04:41

Miles: 160.20 miles

Avg. speed: 13.26 mph

____________________

The goal for March is 210 miles. That's 60 miles more than February and only 3 more days to do it, so I have some long rides ahead of me. It's like that Jerry Reed song from Smokey & The Bandit - "We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there . . ."

Perhaps if Jackie Gleason was behind me saying "sumbitch", it would be a little easier.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 24

Day 24 is the day I show my complete and utter ignorance.

For some unknown reason, I decided to check the air pressure in the tires before I rode today. The rear tire - the one that propels the trainer and gets 100% of the resistance - was at 40 psi. The recommended minimum is 115 psi. So, for who knows how long, I have been training on what amounts to a FLAT TIRE.

I am an idiot savant, without the savant part.

After inflating both tires to 120 psi, the difference in results is simply ridiculous.

Time: 38:58

Distance: 10.07 miles

Avg. speed: 15.5 mph

Max speed: 25.5 mph

Music: The National - Boxer

Relevant lyric: "you're dumbstruck, baby . . . racing like a pro now"

That's a full 2.5 mph more than I've been averaging, an increase of about 20%!

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 11:27:11

Miles: 150.12 miles

Avg. speed: 13.11 mph

____________________

Even though I am happy that I pushed the cumulative total past 150 miles today, I can't help but wonder how many miles I've left on the table because of my stupidity. I would guess another 15-20 miles easily, and probably more. And the sad part is that I know better. I mean, they were 120 psi back on January 31 when I set this whole thing up, but I don't know why I thought they would just magically stay there.

Today's relevant lyric could not be more prophetic (or pathetic, depending on how you look at it).

If Bill Maher were here, he'd say "NEW RULE: Check the air pressure before every ride, because air in the tires is a good thing, but air in your head is not."

I'm out (and ignorant) -
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 22

Day 21 was an off day. I only needed about 3 miles to get 50 for the week, but I put foolish pride aside and listened to the pain instead. Recovery was necessary!

Today I caught myself laughing to myself (don't judge me) because I was thinking I would do a "quick 10". Who the hell do I think I am? 3 weeks ago I couldn't even do 10, and now I'm talking smack about it.

It was a pretty quick 10, but that's beside the point. I can't get cocky or complacent, because it's all too easy to fall back into bad habits.

Time: 43:33

Distance: 10.02 miles

Avg. speed: 13.8 mph

Max. speed: 23.5 mph

Music: Ministry - The Land of Rape and Honey

Relevant lyric: "We go around in circles . . . retaliate"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 10:48:13

Distance: 140.05 miles

Avg. speed: 12.96 mph

____________________

Over 3 weeks into the Experiment and other than cutting out a LOT of soda, I still eat a lot of crap, so the next phase will be to eliminate that. I think I've been successful by wading into the water instead of diving in, so it's a good plan.

Also, I did go and buy a pretty high tech scale last night. And it says I'm heavier now than I was three weeks ago. I trust the new one, though - the one I had was pretty cheap and probably not very reliable. So, I have a baseline now, and I am going to give it a week to see where I am, and when I know, you'll know.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 20

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the goal for today was 20 miles. I questioned that bravado all night after I posted it. I mean, the farthest I've gone so far is 15 miles, and that was after two days of rest. Now I was planning 20 miles after a pretty fast 10 miles just the night before. Obviously, wisdom is not one of my more prominent qualities.

I wish I could say it was motivated by some creative impulse to do 20 miles on the 20th day of the Experiment, but honestly, it was motivated by the fact that I only had 23 miles in for the week, and it was already Friday. After making the 50 mile goal last week, it would be a shame if I took a big step backwards. Wisdom be damned - I went for it.

Time: 1:56:50

Distance: 24.02 miles

Avg. speed: 12.3 mph

Max. speed: 19.1 mph

Music: Vampire Weekend - Contra, Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend, Nik Kershaw - The Riddle

Relevant lyric: "I never want to see you again"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 10:04:40

Distance: 130.03

Avg. speed: 12.91 mph

____________________

As cool as this is, I still need about 3 miles to hit 50 for the week. I may or may not jump on for a few miles tomorrow - it all depends on how my legs feel.

I am ecstatic over the progress I've made in the last few weeks, and I hope it continues. I know I am due for a weight update, but I have been planning to buy a good scale and haven't done so yet. I need to get on that - literally.

Always end a post with a bad pun.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 19

I didn't want to go too far or too fast today, because I am foolishly thinking about 20 miles on Day 20, but then I did it anyway. The distance itself wasn't excessive, but the average speed was pretty high, meaning I had sustained higher speeds that zap a lot of strength and create a lot of next day soreness.

A word about average speed and fluid resistance trainers - while 13.7 mph may not seem all that fast, when you combine it with the resistance, it's a fairly intense workout. There is no coasting on one of these things - once you stop pedaling, the back wheel stops in about 1/2 of a revolution. Basically, it fights you the whole way, and the faster you go, the harder it is to push.

Time: 45:02

Distance: 10.11 miles

Avg. speed: 13.7 mph

Max speed: 25.0 mph

Music: Cause & Effect - Another Minute

Relevant lyric: "Bare your soul, you'll never learn"

____________________

Time: 8:07:50

Distance: 106.01 miles

Avg. speed: 13.03 mph

____________________

So, the goal for tomorrow is 20 miles, and I will have to go slow to get it. I'll be happy with anything over an average of 10 mph. Stay tuned . . .

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 17

OK - first things first. As I mentioned in my last post, Monday (Day 15) was an off day after struggling on Sunday to get the measly 6 miles I needed to hit 50 for the week.

Yesterday (Day 16) turned into an off day after Alex's diving meet ran long and I got home pretty late. So, I am behind for the week, and I hope I can make it up.

That being said, here is tonight's recap.

Time: 1:00:11

Distance: 13.11 miles

Avg. speed: 13.0 mph

Max. speed: 22.9 mph

Music: The Verve Pipe - Underneath and Vertical Horizon - Go

Relevant lyric: "It's not pretty underneath"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 7:22:48

Distance: 95.9

Avg. speed: 12.99 mph

____________________

I am only 4.1 miles away from 100 miles. I did not anticipate that kind of mileage this quickly after such a long hiatus. I am going to increase my protein intake to help my muscles recover and see if I can put in these longer sessions more often. I shouldn't need so much recovery time or hurt so much after a longer ride, at least not 2 1/2 weeks into the Experiment.

Learn by doing.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 13

My legs were definitely sore this morning. Before I rode this afternoon, I consulted with my beautiful fiancee Karen, who also happens to be a certified clinical massage therapist. She found a few knots (I'm sure there is a more technical term) and massaged them, and then she helped me stretch my quadriceps. The difference was amazing. I was almost 30 minutes into the ride before the pain started to set in, and as a result, I was able to get in a pretty respectable ride.

Time: 48:35

Distance: 11.10 miles

Avg. speed: 13.6 mph

Max speed: 23.8 mph

Music: Audioslave - Revelations

Relevant lyric: "I am such a wreck, I am such a mess"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 5:53:58

Distance: 76.73 miles

____________________

This leaves me a scant 5.9 miles from my goal of 50 miles for the week, so it looks like I won't be taking Valentine's Day off.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 12

Day 11 was an off day, but I did walk 1.16 miles at work. Something is better than nothing.

So, after an off day, my legs felt good and I was ready to ride. I jumped on and settled into a brisk, steady pace. But something wasn't right. I had only been going for about 10-12 minutes and my legs were aching something hurtful. I checked the stats on the onboard computer and zoinks! I was clipping along at 15 mph!

Wrong gear!

I didn't notice at the start because I had the fresh legs, but it didn't take long to make me look like a fool.

I knew I was screwed, so I decided to turn it into a mini time trial, and see if I could tough it out for 30 minutes. I managed, but I am spent.

Time: 30:07

Distance: 7.23 miles

Avg. speed: 14.6 mph

Max. speed: 24.5

Music: Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

Relevant lyric: "Just a fading fucking reminder of who I used to be"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 5:05:23

Miles: 65.63 miles

____________________

I also clipped off 2.32 miles walking at work, so that may have had something to do with the early ass kicking. Still working on that whole "balance" thing . . .

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 10

Day 10 of the Experiment was a double bonus.

I took a snow day from work today, so I had a little extra time on my hands. And, since yesterday was an off day, I had a little extra energy as well. As I descended the basement steps, I wondered if I could squeeze out 15 miles. The result:

Time: 1:13:32

Distance: 15.15 miles

Avg. speed: 12.3 mph

Max. speed: 23.5 mph

Music: Book of Love - Lullaby and Erasure - Erasure

Relevant lyric: "Just look at the state of you . . ."

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 4:35:16

Distance: 58.4 miles

____________________

I also stepped on the scale again, and the results were encouraging.

Previous weight: 222 lbs

Current weight: 218 lbs

That 4 pound drop is all sweat equity too, because other than cutting out sodas, I'm still eating the same kind of crap I was before. And since I haven't eaten yet today, I am probably going to eat some crap tonight as well. All in due time . . .

I am halfway to my goal of 50 miles this week and have 4 more days to reach it. Things are going well.

I'm out-
KWass

The Basement Bike Experiment 2010 - Day 8

Longer. Faster. Farther.

Today was a great session, although the muscle fatigue was pretty pronounced. I started out strong, and then the pain set in and lingered between the 10 and 20 minute marks. It eventually faded, and I finished the last 25 minutes pretty well. Hopefully it's a sign of improvement that I was able to push through it.

Time: 48:30

Distance: 10.63 miles

Avg. speed: 13.1 mph

Max. speed: 25.1 mph

Music: Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War

Relevant lyric: "Sorry to be so heavy, but heavy is the cost"

____________________

Cumulative Experiment stats:

Time: 3:21:40

Distance: 43.25 miles

____________________

Week 2 is off to a great start. Day 9 is likely an off day because Alex has another diving meet pretty far from home and the weather report is not promising, but you never know . . .

I'm out-
KWass