Training Weekend in Raleigh, NC

The bitter cold weather of the North East took its toll on me, and I needed to figure out a way to train outside and finally get a chance to test out my new TT. After a weekend skiing in Killington, VT, we decided (I kind of imposed it on Mariesa) to make the trip down to Raleigh, NC for President's day, hoping that the weather would be nicer. 

Saturday: 45F and sunny

After a long drive on Friday night, we made it to Raleigh at around 2:30am, and woke up around 8am, but did not feel like riding outside right away. I did some research to find some bike routes, and it seems like Trek Raleigh, a bike shop about 15 min from where we stayed, had bike courses marked with arrows (red for 50K ride and blue for 100K). I was curious to check it out, so I drove there and started from there. 

I did not get to start until around 12pm, which is late, very late compared to the latest I would allow myself to start riding outside in NYC (around 8am). Passed 8am, you're almost guaranteed to have to deal with the infamous angry drivers of New York / New Jersey. I was only hoping that drivers in NC would be nicer to cyclists...Drivers would slow down, wait for the oncoming cars to clear me before passing me. While passing, they would give me a good 3-4 feet of clearance. Amazing! It made the ride that much more enjoyable. 

I ended up riding a little over 4+ hours on Saturday on my new P5. Roads were in perfect conditions, with barely any pothole to dodge on rather empty roads. A good mix of rolling hills to get the cardio going and flat sections to get on the aero bars made for a great ride overall. I was pleasantly surprised by it, and could not wait to ride more!

Sunday: Cold and windy!

Not the weather I hoped for, but it'll do. The roads are dry and rideable. the 90min brick ride followed by a 90min brick run did not go as well as I wanted. It was too cold to ride more than 75 min, and the wind got me on the run. Luckily, I found a trail 20min into the run, and was able to run in the woods for a good 55min, completely covered by the wind!

Monday: 21 feels like 13...YIKES!

I had 2.5-3hr ride to do before heading home, and I was not going to let that slide! no way! We drove 7.5 hours for me to train, the roads are dry and in great conditions, and with the bitterly cold weather in NY, who knows when/if I get a chance to ride my bike outside before Oceanside 70.3.
So, as expected, my bottles froze solid after 50min on the bike, my face was freezing and my body didn't want to warm up...for some reason? It was a cold one, and in all honesty, I would not even consider the outdoor option if I were in NY. I would be on the trainer. However, despite all that, I managed to have a good ride in, and am now ready to go home, having accumulating 160 miles on the bike.

New year, new resolutions

New resolutions for 2015:

Massive focus on nutrition this year with strict restrictions and the will to get it right, or at least to be better at it. I started working with Inside Tracker to track and analyze key biochemical markers and help understand where my nutritional deficiencies were. It is as simple as a blood test, and as easy as reading the results on their website and checking their recommendations. They give you detailed explanations of what each marker is and how they impact your wellbeing. They also make food recommendation that will help re-balance my diet and optimize my markers. so, as a result of that, in addition to watching my food intake, below are some "drastic" resolutions...

- No more soda (except on race day)

I drank a lot of it last year, especially after a hard training day on the bike. Watching this video (click here) about the impact sugar has on your body also helped me reassess my diet and make changes. As Coke is very important and helpful on race day, I won't restrict myself from drinking it, but will refrain from doing so outside of competitions. 

- Pizza once every two months

It was too easy to order pizza on weekends, and having Rustique Pizzeria down the street did not help either.  We ordered too many of those 4 cheese pizzas with coke and Tiramisu. We eventually had to cut down. 

We waited for 2 months to eat our first slice, choosing the Superbowl for the event! 

- Seamless order once every 2 weeks

We you cook your own food, you know exactly what goes in it. Ordering on Seamless is nice and easy, but again, we ordered way too much on the site. And with the focus on eating healthier, take out or delivery food wasn't a good option. 

- Eating more fruits and veggies

That's a given, but not as simple as it may seem. I'm finally getting used to eating more veggies. 

All these resolutions I am sure will pay off in the end. After a month I already feel better, more energized, and I feel like I recover quicker. I eat a lot more fruits, veggies, healthy breakfasts with a cup of coffee (and honey to sweeten it), and oat meal with yogurt. Before that I would easily eat a baguette with butter and Nutella every day...no problem! Eventually that also had to go! Oat meal isn't the tastiest breakfast food out there, but Mariesa's baked oatmeal makes up for it! Delicious! 

I've also started to be a lot more careful with my recovery post training. After a good stretching, I try to get some whey protein mixed with water and fruits (usually banana, strawberries, kiwis, or raspberries). On top of being delicious, it helps me recover quicker and I can genuinely feel it. 

If I can be consistent with these resolutions I think I'll see some results this year!