February 23, 2011
PMC Training Day 4

Again, major thanks to my most recent new supporters! I have now reached the 20% mark in terms of my fundraising goals, and I am truly appreciative of the generosity people from all quarters are demonstrating. Yes, really. :) Mutual support is what the ride and the cause is all about, of course. So, again, thank you to everyone who has contributed so far.

Not sure if counting the days is the best way to title these posts or what, but doing so cuts to the chase, I guess.Racing scene

An hour at the gym again today after some excellent morning yoga and a great breakfast cooked by the resident soprano and omelette cooker. Well, R cooks most frequently.

The ride felt great on the Xtreme bike again, and I easily beat my virtual opponents, but it is difficult to tell why. I was on a different bike than usual, I have been getting used to cycling, it was on a day I didn’t work or cause trouble otherwise; these conditions created what the many empiricists I know would call confounding variables.  So, confound it, I have no real data explaining what seemed to be a successful ride. Oh, and I also switched up the soundtrack for the ride which could account for several things.

I decided to just plug my earphones into the bike and use the soundtrack the machine provided rather than fiddle with my own iPod. More confounding variables:

I didn’t hesitate everytime I changed a tune on the iPod because I didn’t use it, so I didn’t experience any decrease in cadence due to tune shifting

The genre the  played was more indie rock I would say, not the 80s dance tunes I had been favoring. A more irregular beat as the tunes shifted from one to the other, but a faster tempo all in I think, and certainly a tad more intense.I liked it.

I wasn’t familiar with the tunes so no mental singing along; I think they just acted as a tempo setter not another distraction.

 I also am understanding why folks wear those bike shorts if you are perched on a hard seat pedaling away for an hour. Never mind several hours. I just got some in the mail, but am afraid to try them on. And wait, were those endorphins? I have no idea; I am not sure I have endorphins. It was fun though.

6:11pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Za4iay3EwoJy
Filed under: pan mass challenge X Dream PMC training 
February 5, 2011
Day 1 PMC Training

PMC Training Day 1

After convincing myself a couple of days ago to sign up for the Pan Mass Challenge, both a physical and fundraising project of no small magnitude, I started the training process officially.

Why I am riding, which has a lot to do with my brother John who died on Father’s Day in 1983 of an aggressive brain tumor, can be found on the link above.

But here’s one of what I hope to be many blog entries about the training:

The Workout Feb 5, 2011

  • Morning Yoga: Sun Salutations and Warrior series plus stretching
  • 20 minutes on the bike at the Y
  • 15 minutes on the treadmill

Playlist was taken directly from my wedding playlist:

  • Anita Baker’s “My Favorite Things”
  • Wanna Dance with Somebody
  • Bad Girls
  • I Will Survive
  • September
  • Funkytown
  • Some Madonna Song
  • String of Pearls
  • Never Gonna Give you Up

The tunes are great as they are dance music from back in the days of high school and college, and the steady beat is great for keeping the cadence on the bike and on the treadmill. I know, however, that I will probably OD on these as I go along and need to freshen the playlist. And what about when the 3 hour rides happen?

Today, as is so often the case with new projects, I was pumped and motivated. It was also a little weird, becauase my brother died in 1983 and all of this music was from them — not intentionally as far as he was concerned, but because it was in the beginning of my bar days. As well, I was pulled back to a time with him because I am riding with him foremost in my mind and because the music was there as a strong reminder of a time when he was quite alive. He was only sick 9 months, mercifully in a lot of ways.

Today was a pretty light workout. I have been following their recommendation for the two-day ride training regimen. I know I can’t fool around here. But OK. Let’s. Get. Busy

3:39pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/Za4iay2wVwl2
Filed under: Pan Mass Challenge Training Cycling