Is the summer officially over?

With the winter season knocking on the door, our long Lebanese summer has officially ended. Gotta respect the laws of nature or else we'd be in big trouble.

For some time now, I have enjoyed the luxury of being able to train as much as I want or to put it in a more precise way: as much as my body allows it. I had the flexibility to pick the most suitable training schedule, and as a result I reached a highly competitive level! Apparently nothing lasts forever, and with a potential change of jobs luring in the horizon I might finally have to put a halt to my intense training schedule, perhaps start integrating some mid-week evening runs. But hey, I guess it ain't over until the fat lady sings.

2010 season summary and upcoming plans

My schedule has been pretty packed up the last couple of month, and my lack of focus kept me from updating my Blog. However this time I am back with a lot of motivation to maintain it; with time your blog becomes like your front garden; it needs constant irrigation, trimming and new plants, and if neglected they become a heavy burden on your conscience.

2010 was a very good and rewarding year. No doubt about that! I have placed 3^rd in the national rankings, had 5 podium finishes out of 7 races and topped the podium once. I guess this negate all the claims that veganism compromises your performance and is a great pay off for this year's hard work. Now that the season is over I look back and try to assess my strong as well as my weak points. Where did I go wrong, what could be improved and what are the good practices that I should preserve.

To start, I believe that I didn't manage my training regimen wisely. I did not time my peak with the racing schedule. To put it in simpler terms I think I trained too hard at the beginning of the season and when the racing came, I was too tired to mimic my mid season performance. I did not taper my training and so kept pushing hard all year long. This year, I am planning a different approach. Train harder, but smarter. To start with I am planning to have a written 2 or 3 months training cycle; everything planned in advance. Intensity should start to increase gradually, including long rides at LT or sub-LT. This past season it was almost at Vo2 max the entire time. I am also planning to steadily increase my training volume by 20% compared to last year to comfortably average 16 hours a week. Last year I rode around 14,000 Km, this year I am aiming at a solid 17,000 km. Very ambitious plan, all it needs is free time and a flexible job.

Just like I mentioned it on my other blog, to end it on a high note: I am hoping to be able to ride the Asian championship, as a qualification for the Olympics. Odds are high that it will not happen, but if it were to happen, there's gonna be a lot of sweat in the coming two months.

 

 

 

 

 

2010 season... Just a mirage?

Just like everything else in Lebanon, cycling doesn't seem to move at all around here. We're already in July and still no news from our national federation. Well what would you expect when a bunch of retards put their hands on one of the most prestigious sports in the world! The result is: BLANK!

What keeps me going, is the hope of a new team with the chance to ride some regional races, on top of the Arab championships... but of course everyone in Lebanon wants to take part of it, those who train and those who don't... and believe me based on their performance, no one trains! This is a typical Lebanese thing... Wanting the glory without the hard work. Anyway my expectation is just like everything else, it will go down the drain if we will sit and count on the federation; an alternative would be for us to pay our own expenses but of course, I am no rich guy so will be counting on a sponsor! Good luck in finding that as well.

Enough with the bitching part. I got a new road bike, it was unplanned but I got a very nice deal. It's a Specialized Tarmac SL3 with Zipp 202 rims and SRAM red components.... in other words one of the best (literally) bikes in the market. The bike rides like heaven, an absolute missile uphills and even better on the descends. One would tend to think that super light bikes tend to be very shaky on the descends, but this one absolutely flies through the corners, it must be a combination of the frame, fork and Zipp 202s. So i have been making the best out of it. However I do not have the intention to ride those 202's for a long period of time, I would rather keep them for key moments and use my Ksyrium SL's for everyday's training.

Promising summer

After returning from the U.S, I have increased my training volume significantly. In the past 4 to 5 weeks, I have been averaging around 14 - 15 hours a week. A decent volume compared to last year's. Last year I only managed 13 hours only once and the following weeks I have been too tired to train more than 10 or 11 hours.

Luckily all of this is paying off. My form is improving as well. The best news however is that I am no longer having cramps :) those killer cramps that ruined almost 50% of my races.... well I am not having them anymore. In my opinion those magnesium supplements we part of the cure. My friend and coach have always attributed the reason of cramps for a deficiency in high intensity miles.... But I always thought that it was more than that, because I knew that I got those miles, and the cramps never disappeared, even during very intense rides I used to have them; however ever since I started taking magnesium supplements they have disappeared, not the slightest sign (luckily).

Below is a sample of my training week:

Monday: rest or 1 hour recovery ride on the spinner

Tuesday: Intensity training/Interval either climbing or flat 3 hours

Wednesday: Recovery ride 1 - 2 hours

Thursday: Intensity training/Interval either climbing or flat 3 hours

Friday: Short hills trainings 2 hours

Saturday: TT training 2 hours

Sunday: Long ride, flat, climbing or a combination of both 3 - 4 hours

Back to cycling

After spending almost 20 days in the U.S and away from my saddle, I am finally back to riding "my bike". Have I missed it? Hell yes!! It's my perfect match, an extension to my soul if there is something like that!

Last Saturday was my first ride - I initially intended to ride on Friday, but was still too tired from my 30 hours flight - and what struck me the most is the amount of torture that climbing can inflict whenever you are not in shape! Despite the fact that I managed around 5 mixed rides during my stay in the U.S (Road bike, MTB and Spinner), I surely lost a lot of my high end fitness!

However despite my somehow falling behind in terms of high level fitness, I managed to clock a relatively decent time on a short 4 km - 6.8% - climb, averaging 15.7 km/h and slower by almost 40 seconds than my record time. This being said, I couldn't be more relieved by the fact that my friend (visiting from Kuwait) was going to join me for an easy ride, perfect excuse to soft pedal.

Sunday's ride was supposed to be a long one, but had to cut it a bit short because we still haven't found our shape yet!

Yesterday, had a satisfactory interval session, fitness progressing as hoped. Legs were fine, cardiovascular strength is there! A slap in the face of all those who told me that turning vegan will impair my performance... In fact I feel better than I would usually feel when I was on a regular omnivore diet.

Rest day... Goodbye New Orleans

I decided to take this day as a rest day. I can tell you, it is not easy for an obsessive person such as myself to have one of those days. However the rules of the game dictate that you must at least take 1 rest day per week. Apparently it is good for both mental and physical recovery... I understand that, however I always have the feeling that I am under-trained... But again I know that this is all in my head! I am always worried that what if tomorrow something happens and I couldn't train? I guess no one knows what will happen tomorrow... so might as well ease up.

That is why, I thought of making the best out of my time, and benefit from my usual training time here in New Orleans to update my blog.

On Saturday and Sunday I went for a ride at City Park on my rental bike. City Park is an amazing huge park with a 10 miles perimeter. However the road leading there, makes you wish you were riding a CX bike or even a MTB. I was constantly hoping that I wouldn't get a flat tire... That would suck and it would ruin my day!

Once I got to City Park I was shocked by the beauty of the park (which is totally dedicated for runners and cyclists), and by the fact that there were no cyclists :| I couldn't believe my eyes! To be honest I saw around 6 cyclists all in all, only 2 seemed a bit serious, but all of them were overweight... I think that nothing beats the French, they are much more numerous, much more serious and much leaner!

Back to my rides, on the first day I took some time to recon the circuit, but once the reconnaissance task was completed I went flat out for 30 miles... The legs burned, the lactic acid definitely did its job.... but it did feel good. I could immediately feel the difference in power that I can generate while riding my bike, as compared to when I run. I am much more efficient and at ease when riding my bike, I have no problem riding close to my threshold for hours on the bike, but can't do that while running. Sunday's ride was even more serious, I went there knowing what to expect, the legs were almost back in shape, to I pushed for around 40 miles...

Having gotten my dose, I was satisfied and could come back to my hotel with a clear conscience.

Today I leave New Orleans to Dallas... Another City to cross of my check list :) I hope I can ride a bike and run there, something I so far managed to do in Malaga, Paris, Cyprus, and New Orleans.

Just some info about the bike I rented:

Frame: Fuji Aluminum

Fork: Fuji Carbon

Group set: Shimano 105, 8 speed 11-25

Crank: 39 - 53 (170 mm)

Rims: Ritchey aluminum

Stem: Ritchey aluminum

Saddle: forgot to look

Pedals: SPD Shimano 520

More riding zone

Riding zone

New Orleans

This is my 3rd day in New Orleans. I am loving this city. The best way to explore it is to walk through its streets... or even better, run through its streets, this way you can cover a larger portion in a shorter amount of time. Anyway since I am training for the half marathon, I have been putting some running miles into my legs.

I usually make it a point to run in every city I visit, and New Orleans is no exception. The weather is exceptional, mid 20s, just the way you'd like it. Crystal clear skies, and no pollution.

On the first day of my visit, I went for an exploratory run, 60 minutes. It is very easy to find your way through the city. All the streets lead to Canal Street, which is the line that divides the city in half. My first run had a major target, to locate the Bike shop, from which I will be renting my road bike (see the pic). After some roaming in the streets and asking one person, I managed to locate Bicycle Micheal, which is pretty much the shop I decided to visit when I was still doing my research in Lebanon. Bicycle Micheal is an authentic bike shop, you can feel their love for cycling, and that they are not after fast profit; what they care about the most is customer satisfaction. That is where I got my jawbones from as well.

My second run, was on the Esplanades street, that is where I suffered the most. I did 7*800 m intervals; as you all know, interval training hurts, it hurts really bad.

Today I decided to go and explore tomorrow's riding route: The City Park. After looking up the directions on the internet, I set off for an easy but long run to explore city park. Luckily it was easier than I thought. 7 km away from my hotel, so my total run summed up to 14 km all in all.

This afternoon I went, to Bicycle Micheal and got my bike, a classic Fuji Bike. The bike is almost 10 years old, but it has excellent components and has been well maintained. Back then this bike was used to race epic races such as Paris-Roubaix.

Tomorrow morning I will have the chance to spin my legs for the first time since last Monday. I will also be riding on Sunday morning.

Time off training

After the ToC, I decided to take some time off training. Every athlete needs to do that every once in a while. I surely keep on riding my bike almost daily, however I do not follow a strict training regimen; I ride at the pace that I want, choose courses that I feel like riding regardless of the steepness level or the length.... And so, being on a break I dropped a call to my friend Joseph, and agreed to go on a short ride on Easter Sunday. It has been a while since I last rode with him. When I was following a structured training in winter times, he was busy doing some cross country skying.

It was a relatively short Sunday ride, around 2 h:30 min. Had to get home in time to watch the Formula 1 GP.

On another note, and as a way to distract myself from riding my bike, I have decided along with my friend Tobilis to run a semi-marathon on April 25th, that way I would benefit from my short stay in the U.S to log some running miles.

ToC

The tour of Cyprus is a 4 days stage race each stage is around 100 km, and includes a 30 km timing section. My team mates and myself have been training hard for this event, and we were dying to benchmark ourselves against Elite Class regional riders.

It is also important to highlight that this was my first international race and my first open road race as well.

I made it to Cyprus on Wednesday March 24th, on that same day we unpacked our bikes and went for a warming ride. The weather was hot but a bit windy though. On that day, I recall eating like I never ate before. We needed to load on carbs, especially that the first stage was a tough 115 km, with 2365m of total ascent. So we ate and ate and ate like there were no tomorrow. Dinner was not any better.

The next day we woke up pretty early, had my usual porridge breakfast and head out on the roads.

We rolled at an easy pace out of Larnaca, but as soon as we hit the first slopes, the entire peloton exploded, all because of the Katusha continental riders. It took only 3 Russian riders to butcher the remaining 60 riders. I was happy to be with the front group selection, I thought that everything was going great... But my legs thought otherwise! And so 60 km into the stage, I started cramping, and cramps I had till the very last meter! Lost a lot of precious time, despite all the efforts that my team mates put in trying to help me stretch. That day I lost more than 16 precious minutes... At the end of the day, all I could think about is that I was happy the stage was over! Just for the record: That day I burned more than 3800 Kcal.

The second stage was a bit better, no cramps but unfortunately had a flat tire at the beginning of the timing section. It cost me around 2 precious minutes. Luckily I have found my climbing legs and managed to catch almost the entire peloton, including my 3 team mates. Finished 15th or 16 th on that stage.

The third stage was my best so far, I managed to stick with the front group and pulled out a decent 13th position against the finest rider of the peloton.

That night we had an interview with a Belgian and a Dutch cycling magazines; both of them were interested to know more about cycling in Lebanon.

Stage 4 was another unlucky stage, where I missed the split of the peloton in the cross winds, and ended up in the gutter with a bunch of other unfortunate riders. I managed to drop my companions 13 km into the stage, but was never able to catch a peloton flying at an average speed of 56 km/h.... On that day I ended loosing another 2 minutes 54 seconds.

All in all, I would sum up the experience as a positive one. Managed to match the climbing pace of the strongest riders in the peloton, but was no where close to their overall racing experience. How could I when here in Lebanon we race 5 times a year, while they do more than 30 races a year!