Weigh In Jan 2008: 271

So, I'm going to weigh in every 3rd sunday from now on, because I go to my parents house and they have a nice scale. Anyways, I weighed in on Suday and I was 271. I'm going in the right direction, but I still have a long way to go. 

New Record!

So, I decided to get one last, good workout in tonight, and I rode my rollers for 2 hours. It felt really good. I watched Godfather 2 for about an hour and 20 minutes, and then listened to loud music for the rest of the time. The thing that makes me the happiest is that the total time was 2:03 and there was only 13 minutes where I wasn't pedaling, so I was actually pedaling for 1:50. I was usually between 60 and 70 RPM, but I got up around 100 a few times. I know I need to get the average cadence up, but I'm still a bit shaky. 

So, that put my weekly total up to 5 hours, and about 50 miles (not that distance means much indoors). 

My goal for this month is to get to where I can ride non-stop for an hour with cadence above 70 RPM. My actual tri training schedule doesn't start until March 8, so I'm just trying to get a good base. This month, I'm concentrating on cycling, and next month, I'll move on to running. I figure if I can get to the point where I can exercise for longer periods of time and keep my heart rate up and stuff, I'll be ready to start my actual tri training.

Rolling to Music

So, I've come to the conclusion that it helps me to listen to music when I ride. Last night I got on my rollers at around 9:30. It would have been earlier, but I had to watch american idol. Anyways, I was watching Steve Jobs' keynote speech at the beginning of my ride, and I just wasn't feeling it. Then, I put on some music (AFI, Thrice, Thursday, etc.) and it really helped me to keep riding and not get bored. I ended up riding for 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was a really great ride. So, now I have to start making some good riding playlists.

Spudman

So, I got signed up for Spudman, and Clint and Amy couldn't (stupid freaking active.com). I'm still hoping that they'll let them race, but it doesn't look very likely. For a while, I was considering just canceling my registration, but I think I'm going to do it. I really feel like I need a good goal, and I've really been looking forward to it. Even if I have to race alone, and there's not a huge fan section (my wife is due about 2 weeks before the race), I'll be there racing against myself.

Rolling along

I rode my rollers this morning for 45 minutes, with my heart rate 150 and 160 the whole time. I'm trying to keep my heart rate steady, and just put in the time until I get to a point where I can exercise regularly without feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack. 

I listened to music today, and I think it helped me to keep the cadence up a little bit. I don't know if it would work for hours on end, but it seemed to help for this ride. 

Good Roller Ride

Today I rode for an hour and 40 minutes on my rollers today while watching The Godfather (edited, of course). It was a really good ride. I was trying to keep my HR around 150, and it worked out really well. I found a good zone, and just stuck with it. That makes about 3 hours on my rollers this week, which is pretty good for me, but I gotta keep doing more. I feel like I'm getting to the point where I can pedal for a long time without stopping. My saddle got pretty uncomfortable at times, but I think I found a good riding position that works for me. 

Anyways, wish me luck on keeping up with my training plan. I rode 3 times this week, and I'm shooting for 4 next week, even with finals. I'm planning on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. 

Roller Fun

Tonight, I rode for about 35 minutes on my rollers. It was a really good workout, but it did get a little boring near then end. I've been looking for good podcasts to listen to during training lately. So far, I like the JBST SmartCast and the Fredcast. I'm branching out into non-fitness-related podcasts, so we'll see how that goes. 

I felt pretty good during my workout, but I got a headache near the end of the ride. I think it's mostly a sinus headache, but we'll see if it goes away. Hopefully that doesn't become a chronic problem.

I got my stuff from Hammer Nutrition today. I love the shorts, and I like the jersey, but it's a little small, so I'll have to lose some weight before I wear it in public. Here are some good "before" pictures as I'm kind of at the beginning of my fitness goals. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you don't get too nauseous.