Training Log Harmonix Training Diary

driftking

Wheel size expert
Been an interesting read! One thing I noticed is that you are pretty light on with breakfast. 2 bananas doesn't seem like much to me.
I know when I ride in the mornings (which I do up to 3-4 times a week, varying between 25km - 100km) I am smashing down something like 4 weetbix, 1 banana, some almonds and yogurt. I weigh under 70kg so I'm certainly eating alot more percentage wise compared to you. I find without a decent breakfast, I fall apart very quickly.
If the OP is doing lower intensity rides at aerobic pace fat will primarily be used, so if he is trying to loose weight it forces the body to break down its stores, ie body weight so that needs to be considered. I do agree though 2 banana's doesn't seem like much, Id find a higher protein option with some complex carbs. Oatmeal with a banana and cinnamon or my favorite 6-8 egg whites scrambled, non stick pan ie no oil or butter needed on two pieces of wholemeal toast. some good sustainable carb's and good protein to help increase that daily calories burning and provide some good fuel for your muscles to fuel off. If you cant handle at least not buttering the toast try use a small amount of olive oil or another healthy oil instead of butter. But keep it to an equivalent fat content to the butter it replaces.

However If you are going to take in simple carbs the OP has done it the right way, a healthy source like fruit and in the morning you are breaking a fast and it is before exercise so it wont be harming the weight lost efforts. Though high protein breakfast has been proven to significantly increase calorie burning throughout the day.

Sorry OP for all these posts, in your training diary. Good work so far by the way, Iv been so lazy these days, while i don't need to loose weight right now i'm skinny unfit. haven't done any exercise for like 3 months, first ride back is going to be a bit of a painful one I think.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Thanks for the input guys. All advice and opinions always welcome.
It all helps.

As for why I havn't had the big brekkies? Because I havn't been doing big rides. And as mentioned above I want to my body to start behaving differently and sometimes this can take a week or two for the body to start recognising what it should be doing.

I am just building a base fitness level as a jumping off point for my more serious training in a few weeks.
So, at the moment I am just letting my body acclimatise to regular exercise, getting my muscles and skeletal supporting muscles used to sitting in the saddle on the roadie (very different possie to the MTB), and in four more weeks I will be smashing it, working more scientifically with VO2 thresholds and stuff.

Any advice welcome.

And you know what? I am actually flaking it on two bananas. Just check my strava from about a month ago and I was busting out 70km rides no probs. Only with a belly FULL of food and I wasn't losing any weight.
 
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steve24

Likes Bikes and Dirt
My breakfast is bog standard- very, very strong skinny latte, 1 sugar and 2 pieces of toast with jam, vegimite, whatever.

I can easily (not at my current fitness level....) do 100k in the morning on this but i do eat on the ride which i think is also part of training for a long event....

I couldn't eat a banana in the morning at 4.30am....

Ive been motivated to step up my training again and managed 1100M of climbing last night on the MTB, dodging about 200 roos, heaps of goats, sheep and 4 rabbits....
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
My breakfast is bog standard- very, very strong skinny latte, 1 sugar and 2 pieces of toast with jam, vegimite, whatever.
Funny you say this because the flying scotsman Graham Obree (I think that's how you spell it) ex world champ TT racer said his secret weapon food was a jam sandwich.
Just a plain old white bread sandwich with a good slosh of strawberry jam.

I tried this a few times and punched out some of my best rides ever (120kms+) on them. When I go out on the MTB for a day I always stash one in the jersey pocket.

Ultimate power food.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Hey Steve24, I am gonna try some jam on toast for brekkie before todays ride and see how I go (if I can ride harder and actually get a better quality of workout).

Bit cold this morn Brrrr! Frost outside.

Todays weather: Cloudy. Morning frost. The chance of rain becoming more likely during the afternoon. Areas of snow above 1300 metres. Winds N 10 to 20 km/h tending SE/SW during the afternoon. Daytime maximum temperatures between 8 and 13.

Will update this space tonight or tomorrow with todays ride.

Not weighing in lately. The dailys are doing my head in. Gonna take trickymacs advice and do the weekly weigh ins from now on.

*edit* 8:26am Rain is here already. Bucketing down outside, proper cats and dogs. In my original post I did say 'Rain, hail or shine' so here goes.
 
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harmonix1234

Eats Squid
I ran out of internet credit so I am yet to load up Strava and details of last few days. At the job centre using their webz :)

I'll update this space when I get some web cred for the dongle.

Until then, just a journal update.

I woke up this morning with a massive cramp in my gut and a sick feeling.
Like when you are too drunk and you know that you are about to spew, but if you just don't move and lay with your cheek on this nice cold refreshing concrete just a bit longer you may actually ride it out. That's how I felt.

So I got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water, and there it was. The evidence...

Before I go any further I'll back track a little.

A few uears ago I was made aware that I sleepwalk.
Mostly just around the house stuff but I have woken up in strange places - in the car once in the back seat, and once at the foot of my beed covered in a pile jumpers and T-Shirts no doubt in an attempt to keep warm when I couldn't find my way back to bed.
I have been known to run baths until they overflow and sit in front of the tele with the remote in my hand watching a tele that wasn't turned on.
And once, my neighbour got home late one night and asked why I was checking the mail in the nude at 3am.
I don't remember any of these things, it's only when someone finds me and then informs me, so I shudder to think of what I get up to when nobody is around.

Anyway, the worst thing that I do is I sleep-eat.
I am a sleepeater.

That is one reason I have trouble with my weight.

I have been found on the couch in the nude eating a 1 kilo block of cheese like it's a hand-fruit.
Whole boxes of muesli bars disappear, or a whole litre of milk, I once ate a whole jar of cheese spread with a spoon, probably dreaming that it was chocolate mousse or something.

So this morning when I walk into the kitchen and find on the kitchen counter an open empty packet of packet of bacon and a small paper bag with a cafe logo on it I know why I feel sick.

There was no frypan on the stove either so I know that I must have eaten it raw.
A whole 750 grams of raw bacon, fat, rind, the lot. I felt sick.
I roused the wife and asked her what was in the paper bag with the Cafe logo on it and to my horror she informs me that it was two large caramel slices that were given to her by my Mother.

So, I accept my midnight gastonomic endeavour as there is nothing that I can do to change what is done, and I eat some dry toast to settle the stomach. That's better.

Now, a few hours later I feel a bit better and am about to go for my ride.
Today I am going to tackle Summerleas Road. It's the unsealed back road from Kingston to Fern Tree.
It's a harder gradient to Fern Tree than the normal way because it is over a shorter distance.

Will update after the ride.
 

mtb101

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I am a sleepeater.
mate forget the training diary ... the sleepeater story rules!

seriously you are going to have to eliminate all fat foods from your house or simply lock up the fridge and give the key to your wife, how else can you burn the huge calories that you have consumed through the night - the human body is a very efficient energy user and if you add the calories consumed vs the hours of activity ...... ?

anyway good luck and it's good reading, make it an inspirational story for us!!!

btw, what's your target event, reckon you are going to need one to sustain the training load. Good luck.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Training Day #9 - West Hobart Hills

http://app.strava.com/rides/18878195

Distance - 17.7 km
Time - 1:02:01
Cadence Av - 57
Heart Rate Av - 151
Average Speed - 17.1 kph
Calories - 642
Elevation - 429m


Despite the mediocre looking stats, this ride killed me.
I picked these hills because I remember walking up them as a kid with my Dad when we used to go for bush walks around Knocklofty and having a tantrum about half way up and screaming to be carried. Bastard made me walk.

Anyway, I needed the hills in my legs. Short, sharp, hard, chainbreaker hills that set your lungs on fire in a matter of metres.

Strava suffer score dosn't reflect how much pain I was in. I don't think I have ever worked this hard on a bike in my life.

So, after a deceptively gruelling ride I headed home and gave second thoughts to me next planned day. The dreaded Summerleas Road.

I didn't make note of what I ate that day except for the fact that I had eggs on toast for brekkie and felt like a power house all day.

Successes: I rode up hills that have always scared me and conquered them. A great psychological win.

Failures: Looking at Strava makes me feel soft. Guys are dashing up these climbs compared to me.
 
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harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Training Day #10 - Summerleas Road.

As it turned out, my Grandmother decided to have a 'I'm probably gonna die soon so everyone who is apparently supposed to care about me better show up with some cake or flowers for a last hoorah' on Sunday.

So, no Summerleas Road. Probably a blessing in disguise because my legs still hurt from the West Hobart hills.
Still cranky at the woman for ruining my planned ride day.

Now before you all get on the hate wagon and start throwing abuse at me about my dissin' on my poor old cancer ridden nan, let me just say that she hasn't earned the right to ask me to sacrifice a ride day. And I am a roadie now, which also means that I have an international asshole passport. So best shirt on, off to Nans for a fake smile and an offering of a token sniff of our new baby.

Tomorrow, Summerleas Road.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Training Day #10/#11 Proper - Summerleas Road.

http://app.strava.com/rides/19182885

Aforementioned is my unconscious bacon misadventure, so I won't go back into it, suffice to say that 3/4 kilo of raw bacon and 2 caramel slices is power food.

After I got over my shortlived gastro belly (apologies to the staff at the jobsearch centre to had to use the toilets after me) I set off.

Distance - 48.9 km
Time - 2:20:59
Cadence Av - 62
Heart Rate Av - 147
Average Speed - 20.8 kph
Calories - 1,459
Elevation - 811m


I have always been intimidated by this climb as I have heard stories of people not actually being able to climb it due to a combination of the gradient and the pea gravel.

When the unsealed section goes up it's a straight up average of 10.8% gradient with a few 13-16% pinches.

I knew I needed more climbing at a low cadence to balance out my faster spins on the flat.
So, a quick 26kms warm up on my normal run through Taroona and up Bonnet Hill and off to Summerleas.
I didn't want to go too hard because I knew it was a tough climb and I reckon I lost a bit of fluid when I shat what seemed to be litres of fizzy gravy at job network (sorry again guys), so when it went up I just locked into my easiest gear and started nudging my way up.

F*ck me.

Straight up at 11% on the pea gravel and my back wheel was spinning on bits, and too far back and the front wheel was off the ground with all the torgue of the lowest gear.
I could either pick better lines that took me all over the road chasing the exposed hardpack, or pick a harder gear and speed up and drive through the gravel.\I tried the latter and after a few hundred metres I couldn't keep the pace. Looks like I'd be chasing the bald spots for traction in a half sitting/half standing position for the rest of the ride.

This position on the bike really started to take its toll quickly and my lower back started to cramp and niggle. I can see why people don't ride this road now.
I needed a 29er with super low gears, not a roadie with 700X23 slicks at 110psi.

'Just keep driving on' I said to myself.

As I come around the corner of a sharp and steep pinch I note a white Ute rego B75PJ up ahead parked on my side of the road but as if it were oncoming.
I see the driver get out and grab 2 large garbage bags off the back of the ute and haul them down the side of the escarpment into the bush. He didn't see me yet.
He reached over again and another two, and again, another two and I call out "Nice day to fuck up the nature reserve eh mate"? The guy jumps and looks a bit shocked. Busted custard. He jumps in his ute and does a big burn out and zooms off only missing me by a few feet. Dust and rocks pinging off my carbon frame and helmet.

I approach the edge of the revine and peer over. There must be five years worth of illegal dumping here. F*cking piles of rubbish.
Soiled mattresses, washing machines, bags and bags of detritus, and beer slabs.
About 30 metres up the road from this dump site there is a sign saying 'Wellington Ranges National Park'. There is no way that a local would not see this sign at least once a day. There is no excuse.

I store the details in my phone, gps coordinates, description of driver and car, rego, time of day, the stihl chainsaw and red toolbox in the trailer. The lot.

My anger spurred me on like a proton energy pill and my goal now was not to get my fat ass up Summerleas Road, but to get there as quick as possible so that I could call the cops and make a report. I had no cred on the mob btw.

Call me a dobber, I don't give a damn. If the guy hurled an empty coke can out the window or something I'd probably just pick it up, or give the guy the finger, but this was my forests that I have mountain biked in for years. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. No way were they getting away with this.

I punched it all the way up summerleas, not any faster, but more energised and motivated so I felt stronger.

I made it. I made it up the dirt, all the way to Fern Tree with a stitch in my gut, cramp in both legs, burning lungs and a lower back that felt like someone had hit it with a tyre iron.

I dashed to the phone box and called the cops, and they advised me "Sorry, can't do a report over the phone, you'll have to come into the police station".

Well... What an anti climax.
I imagined the scene going something a little more like this:

I dive into the phone box (just like a slow motion action hero jumping with explosion in the background) and dial the number, to which I provide an acute and professional account of the incident (even using the correct police friendly phonetics Bravo seven five Papa Juliette), to which the cops applaud my sleuthery with praise and then maybe something like the roof of the phone box opens up and balloons fall down with 'Harmonix, you are our hero' printed on them in COMIC SANS font.

So, a little deflated I rode into town and made my report at the police station, and the officer advised me that I may get asked to be a witness and testify. Cool.

I headed home feeling good, but very tired, and not hungry for bacon in any form.

Successes:

Made the dreaded climb. I might do it next week too. It's not in my planned week of riding but I may slip it in again.
So rewarding doing something that you almost know that you can't, and proving yourself wrong.
Busted the littering bogan.

Failures:

None. Just tired and in need of some rest.
Strained the back a little. Nothing a few hot baths won't work out.
 
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mason33

Likes Dirt
As I come around the corner of a sharp and steep pinch I note a white Ute rego B75PJ up ahead parked on my side of the road but as if it were oncoming.
I see the driver get out and grab 2 large garbage bags off the back of the ute and haul them down the side of the escarpment into the bush. He didn't see me yet.
He reached over again and another two, and again, another two and I call out "Nice day to fuck up the nature reserve eh mate"? The guy jumps and looks a bit shocked. Busted custard. He jumps in his ute and does a big burn out and zooms off only missing me by a few feet. Dust and rocks pinging off my carbon frame and helmet.

I approach the edge of the revine and peer over. There must be five years worth of illegal dumping here. F*cking piles of rubbish.
Soiled mattresses, washing machines, bags and bags of detritus, and beer slabs.
About 30 metres up the road from this dump site there is a sign saying 'Wellington Ranges National Park'. There is no way that a local would not see this sign at least once a day. There is no excuse.

I store the details in my phone, gps coordinates, description of driver and car, rego, time of day, the stihl chainsaw and red toolbox in the trailer. The lot.

My anger spurred me on like a proton energy pill and my goal now was not to get my fat ass up Summerleas Road, but to get there as quick as possible so that I could call the cops and make a report. I had no cred on the mob btw.

Call me a dobber, I don't give a damn. If the guy hurled an empty coke can out the window or something I'd probably just pick it up, or give the guy the finger, but this was my forests that I have mountain biked in for years. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. No way were they getting away with this.

I punched it all the way up summerleas, not any faster, but more energised and motivated so I felt stronger.

I made it. I made it up the dirt, all the way to Fern Tree with a stitch in my gut, cramp in both legs, burning lungs and a lower back that felt like someone had hit it with a tyre iron.

I dashed to the phone box and called the cops, and they advised me "Sorry, can't do a report over the phone, you'll have to come into the police station".

Well... What an anti climax.
I imagined the scene going something a little more like this:

I dive into the phone box (just like a slow motion action hero jumping with explosion in the background) and dial the number, to which I provide an acute and professional account of the incident (even using the correct police friendly phonetics Bravo seven five Papa Juliette), to which the cops applaud my sleuthery with praise and then maybe something like the roof of the phone box opens up and balloons fall down with 'Harmonix, you are our hero' printed on them in COMIC SANS font.

So, a little deflated I rode into town and made my report at the police station, and the officer advised me that I may get asked to be a witness and testify. Cool.
Absolute legend, that's a top effort and hopefully with all the detail you've given the scourge gets dealt with appropriately.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Rest Day today.

All this volume training is making my legs complain and they re getting tired more thsn they are recharging and I need to take a few days off the bike.

I wasn't planning this, but I am listening to my body. I guess Summerleas Road did some stuff to my leg muscles that I wasn't ready for.

I went for a 2km spin this morning and my legs just weren't liking it.

I'll see if I can spin them out a little longer as next week I am not getting volume in my legs, but doing some shirt sharp days of hill repeats and intervals to mess with the body and shock it a bit.
I have found that if I do the same routes all the time my body gets used to it and if I mix it up a lot I get better results.

Working on weekend so it looks like a few unplanned rest days. Will update after next ride, and next each ride next week will be like spin, smash, spin, smash, spin SMASH SMASH SMASH.
 

geoff_tewierik

Likes Dirt
Good job on the dumper.

What have your current rest days been like?

I.e. weight lifters do squats, bench's and rows on Monday (Set A), rest Tuesday, do squats, press and deads Wednesday (Set B), rest Thursday and Friday do squats, bench's and rows (Set A). Following week is Set B, rest, set A, rest, Set B and then back to the first week again. Day of rest between sessions allows the body to recuperate and build muscle.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Been a bit slow on the updates. Big life just taking up my hours.
Book week costume making, doctors appointments, a five month old baby, government job applications and general living I have only had time to get on the trainer, which I have been loving the last few days.

Still eating well, but I have changed to a high protein diet based on some metabolism information and I tell you what, two eggs for brekkie before spins session and a smoothie with banana, honey and two egg whites after morning workout has my metabolism flying.

As it turns out at a certain age your body relies on proteins more, and carbs are less important (but still required).

Been eating tonnes of protein and my metabolism is flying. It's amazing.

My metabolism used to be like a small hot coal. If you throw a big log on it it will just smoulder and smoulder for days until it breaks down slowly.
However, introducing more protein is like throwing a few pine needles on, and then a few twigs, and then a few branches until before you know it you have a raging fire that you can throw these massive logs on and it will just catch on fire straight away because the base of coals is just massive and molten hot.

A bad analogy I know, but all I can think of to describe it.

I am eating more now than I used to, but I can see the weight dropping off.
Still havn't weighed in since the other week though. I kind of want to surprise my self and I am saving it.

Even though I am eating more, I am eating things like a big bowl of steamed broccoli and green beans with a drizzle of balsamic for a mid afternoon snack.
Or a big bowl of fresh salad of rocket, spinach, carrot, red capsicum, red onion, fresh tomato, asparagus and a good squeeze of lemon juice and some pepper.

Mushrooms have become the 'What do I want to eat? I don't know, normally I'd have a biscuit about now' snack.

I have done about 250kms this week on the trainer at night when the kids are in bed because I just havn't had the time to hit the tarmac this week, and it's been snowing and the roads are pretty dangerous on slicks at the mo.

Sessions are harder than on the bike. I really push hard to the point where I get off the trainer and I can't walk/jelly legs, then a recovery day, and then I do it again.

A recovery day involves about 15-20 mins on the trainer on the lowest setting, low cadence. I don't even crack a sweat.Just a chilled out and relaxed turning of the legs.

Anyway, I have job interviews next week (fingers crossed) so I'll try and get on the tarmac some more. I need the hills to get some real world repeat sessions in.

Base building is coming a long just as planned. I am beginning to get cyborg legs and I feel f*cking tops!
 
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harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Well, a day of job interviews meant I only got to have some time on the trainer again, and another sleepeating incident.

60kms in 80 minutes. I went pretty hard on the old thing and actually ran the tension belt right off the wheel guide.
On closer inspection and a burned finger I realised that I melted the belt guide from going too hard on it.

Some araldyte on, and we'll see how she goes.

I think I need a trainer that can handle more watts.

After a good warm up (20 minutes) I was on the second hardest setting punching out three minutes reps at 135bpm, muscles lactating like a bastard, sweat pouring off me like a running hose followed by five minutes at 100bpm on two settings easier.
I didn't think I'd melt the bloody thing.

Why do they build the things with resistance settings that provide so much friction that the unit catastrophically fails?
You think the guys in the white lab coats that test these things would have thought of this. Not a cheap one either.
I should have kept the $200 ebay spin bike with the 20 kilo flywheel. It was ugly, and heavy, but tough.

Anyway, still sleepeating.

Yesterday my Aunty came around for a visit.
My wife was in the kitchen in a fluster cursing and swearing at the open fridge.
I walk into the kitchen to see her holding an empty tupperware container and wearing her best 'WTF have you done' face.

I ask what's the fluster and she replies
"The truffles? Where are all the truffles? ALL MY HANDMADE TRUFFLES!"

"I don't know? I didn't even know you made truffles"?!?!

"Well I did, and I made them especially for your Aunty and she is going to be here in 20 minutes and now I have nothing"!

"Oh... (I realise what has happened about now, but I don't fess up yet) We have tim tams. You could put some of them on a plate"

"NO! We don't have tim tams. You sleep-ate them too"!

"Oh... How many truffles were there"?

"At least thirty... Plus the tim tams'.

Oh dear... Sorry love. :/

Turns out that she didn't tell me about them, AND she hid them from me, and I still found them, and ate them, and I didn't even know I had done it.
Still don't remember it. Fark. That's a whole lotta kj's. Maybe that's why I felt so strong on the trainer today?


Back on the bike tomorrow.
 
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Trickymac

Likes Dirt
hahahaha, wow dude, 30 truffles and tim tams...fuck me i dont know how you dont die of a heart attack while asleep or vomit in your sleep, seriously tie yourself to bed, use a piece of rope around your wrist...not tight, and tie it to the bedhead, again so there is slack so you are free to move around in bed but if you try and go for a midnight snack it stops you
still laughing...30 truffles and tim tams
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Man, feels like it's been forever since I have been on the bike.

After my 100ker (Above post), I felt a bit run down.
Not refuelling properly I guess.

My next ride was my usual to Bonnet and I felt off the whole time. My heart was working overtime and I felt like it was going to jump out of my mouth.
37kms and my heart rate was at threshold for 40% of the ride. I felt real bad so I went home and sat in the shower and was all shaky and weak.

Here's the ride http://app.strava.com/rides/20899618

And here's the 100ker that put my in the pain cave http://app.strava.com/rides/20245732
As you can see, I was at threshold heart rate for 33% of the entire ride. Fark. Lucky I didn't have a heart attack.

The next day I woke up sick. Man flu.
It has gotten worse over the last week and I have been trying to rest up, but keeping solids down is hard and I am on a pretty much liquid diet, and bananas.

The trouble is that every time I start to get results and feel strong I get over enthusiastic and burn myself out, end up sick, undo all the hard work I have done and spend a few weeks recovering and then it takes me six weeks to get my form back.

So, I am going to rest up. And start this whole fucking base building again with a different approach.
Smaller, easier steps, with small goals.
It's great to say "I want my long term goal to be this" but I figure if I can make smaller goals it will be easier to back off a bit and stay at that pace.

BTW - Weigh in, 90 kilos.
When I moved down in Feb I was 110, so that's 20 kilos in six/seven months. Getting there.

I am shedding weight fast while I am sick, but not healthily, but I am aware of it and don't mind putting it back on a bit when I can stomach food again.

No more sleep eating since the last horror show with the truffles.
 
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