Nice Scenery Here In Provo

Since most of the roads I usually ride are currently torn up, I decided to head up North today and ride up Provo Canyon. I am so glad I did. Over half of my ride was on the multi-use path, which I don't like a lot of the times, but it was great. I was able to find some pretty ridiculous hills on the way to the mouth of the canyon, so I tried my legs at some climbing. It went really well.

Once I hit the path, it was pretty crowded, but it didn't really bother me. It was actually a welcome change from the 55 MPH traffic zooming by me during my whole ride. I had ridden up here before, but I decided to go further than I usually do. Here's a picture I took of what I saw. I didn't realize that Bridal Veil Falls was that close, so I was pretty happy to see it. It was kind of weird because there's about 50 yards of "Pedestrian Only" area, so cyclists have to get off and walk. I ended up going up past Vivian Park. In all, it was 29 miles with 1500 feet of total elevation gain. I felt really good, especially after about the first 45 minutes, which is pretty usual for me.


As a side note, the shop got my new frame from Raleigh on Friday, and apparently there's a pretty big paint flaw. They said it looked like there was a bump in the aluminum that they just sanded down and spraypainted over. I was pretty bummed, because it look like it might be another 3 weeks or so until I get my bike back. The good news is that the frame was an upgrade from my old one. It's still a 2004, but it was a Prestige, which was their top of the line road bike from that year. So, we'll see what happens there. I might go check it out and see how bad it is, because I just want my bike back.

Look, Super Nintendo Chalmers, I'm Learnding!

So, I'm starting to learn more and more about my training and stuff. Here are a few things I've learned lately.

First of all, I like morning workouts better than evening workouts (once they're done, that is). Logistically, they're tons better. I don't have to shower twice a day. I don't get all hyped up right before I got to bed. But, the main reason I've switched is because I found myself kind of dreading my workouts all day. It's not that I don't like the workouts, because I've actually started to like them a lot. But I just know that I had to do it, and I knew I would feel guilty if something came up and I couldn't do my workout.

Second of all, I think I get really hot when I workout, maybe in more ways than one. I was riding today, and I was able to refill my bottles so I had tons of water, so I decided to squirt some on my head, and it made a huge difference. I don't know if everyone is like that, or if I might get hotter than most because I'm so big or something, but it really helped, and I'll have to try that more from now on.

Third of all, stretching and massaging really really really help. I got one of those super dense foam rollers so I could do some self-massage, and I can tell a huge difference after workouts, and especially the morning after, if I use it.

Anyways, those are just some of the things I've learned lately.

Hill Repeats

I just got back from doing some hill repeats, and boy are my arms tired....I mean legs. 

I finally decided that I need to stop making excuses on hills, so today I set out to just climb a bunch of hills. I have my red bike (sans granny gear) so it was pretty low cadence, but I felt really good. I rode for an hour, and basically just rode up and then back down every hill I could find. There was one hill in particular that I have climbed before and it almost killed me, and that was with my granny gear. I felt a lot better today, and that was really exciting. Plus, it was just more fun then I usually have when I ride. There's something about getting to the top of a really hard hill. Anyways, I'd post my elevation profile, but it would just show what a wussy I am because the hills probably aren't that bad to normal mortals.

Oh, and some more good news. Raleigh is going to replace my frame, and the rep seemed to think I would actually get the same frame. He said they usually keep a few around for just such an occasion. Plus, they're going to renew my "free lifetime service" thing, so I can get free tune ups and everything. I'm hoping to have it by the end of next week, but that's probably a bit optimistic. 

What a Weekend

Here are a few things that happened this weekend (and sorry if it sounds like a pity party):

I put my bike on my trunk rack and left my saddle bag on my trunk when I drove off, basically losing all my little bike accessories. 

I did my first official 5k run in a long time and finished in about 38 minutes. I was actually really happy with this. It pushed my weekly run total to 12 miles which is really good for me, and the course was really hilly so I think I might have even gotten closer to 30 minutes on a flat course.

I went out on a bike ride and broke a spoke 3 miles into the ride. I should have seen it coming, but I didn't check my bike carefully enough.

I pulled my bike off the trunk rack when I got home and noticed a crack in the head tube. This is the thing that has me really bummed. There's not warranty since I'm not the original owner, and I know that frame cracks can be really bad. Anyways, here's a pic.

Sorry if this is a totally depressing post. My training is actually going really well, and I'm finally getting more comfortable with running. I'll be sure to do a happier post in the next few days.