Sunday – Moar Miles

2014-08-10Posted by xaminmo

Phil, Glenn, Becky, Karl and I puttered up to Denton, had breakfast at Cartwright’s Ranch House on the square (very affordable), and came back. It’s tough to ride 2 days in a row, but there’s a Strava Challenge to meet!

Cartwright’s after food:

Lots of silly bike lean photos, some of which are online at:

http://app.strava.com/activities/178382994
41.5mi Distance
3:03:08 Moving Time
1,322ft Elevation (?)
66 Suffer Score
180W Weighted Avg Power
1,515kJ Total Work
174 Training Load
69% Intensity

Heart Rate Analysis
Z1 Endurance < 106 1:02:34 34% Z2 Moderate 106 - 141 1:46:14 58% Z3 Tempo 141 - 158 13:45 8% Z4 Threshold 158 - 175 35s 0% Z5 Anaerobic > 175 0s 0%

Power Zone Distribution
Z1 Active Recovery 1 – 142 W 1:36:10 53%
Z2 Endurance 143 – 194 W 30:53 17%
Z3 Tempo 195 – 233 W 17:15 10%
Z4 Threshold 234 – 271 W 11:35 6%
Z5 VO2Max 272 – 310 W 8:37 5%
Z6 Anaerobic 311 – 388 W 7:56 4%
Z7 Neuromuscular 389+ W 8:39 5%

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/561945553
Summary
Distance: 41.49 mi
Time: 3:00:06
Avg Speed: 13.8 mph
Elevation Gain: 1,322 ft
Calories: 1,612 C
Avg Temperature: 92.1 °F
Details
Timing
Time: 3:00:06
Moving Time: 2:58:43
Elapsed Time: 5:10:02
Avg Speed: 13.8 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 13.9 mph
Max Speed: 26.9 mph
SpeedPace
Elevation
Elevation Gain: 1,322 ft
Elevation Loss: 1,325 ft
Min Elevation: 526 ft
Max Elevation: 670 ft
Heart Rate
Avg HR: 116 bpm
Max HR: 162 bpm
Zones% of Maxbpm
Power
Avg Power: 144 W
Max Power: 1,164 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 172 W
Normalized Power (NP): 212 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.817
Training Stress Score (TSS): 199.4
FTP Setting: 259 W
Work: 1,557 kJ
ZonesWatts
Cadence
Avg Bike Cadence: 73 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 120 rpm
Temperature
Avg Temperature: 92.1 °F
Min Temperature: 84.2 °F
Max Temperature: 107.6 °F
Weather
81°
Feels like 84°
7 mph S wind
Humidity 70%

Shorter ride

2014-07-19Posted by xaminmo

The humidity was tough. Density altitude for Denton was around 3000′ today. Just enough to make everything burn. That, and Sharon was pushing full steam ahead.

On the flip side, 2 of our riders needed to SAG back early, so we didn’t go to Krum. Sharon, Karl and Becky probably got 65 miles, and I got around 48 miles.

I tried to push at max sustainable pace from Orchid Hill to home. That was around 272 watts, which matches my estimated FTP (functional threshold power), an a little higher than my NP (normalized power).

Shorter ride

Funny, the route map looks like a big lasso.

http://app.strava.com/activities/168045899
128 Tough Suffer Score
46 Points in the red
227W Weighted Avg Power
2,107kJ Total Work
218 Training Load
83% Intensity
9 personal records
8th overall “Bev’s to Fry Street”

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544868479

Distance: 48.50 mi
Calories: 2,567 C

Time: 2:52:20
Moving Time: 2:51:46
Elapsed Time: 3:52:14

Avg Speed: 16.9 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 16.9 mph
Max Speed: 33.5 mph

Elevation Gain: 2,034 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,083 ft
Min Elevation: 503 ft
Max Elevation: 759 ft

Avg HR: 144 bpm
Max HR: 176 bpm

Avg Power: 209 W
Max Power: 963 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 229 W
Normalized Power (NP): 255 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.928
Training Stress Score (TSS): 245.9
FTP Setting: 275 W
Work: 2,157 kJ

Avg Bike Cadence: 81 rpm
Max Bike Cadence: 118 rpm

Avg Temperature: 75.6 °F
Min Temperature: 71.6 °F
Max Temperature: 86.0 °F
Weather: 70°, 0 mph N wind, Humidity 83%

Sat Krum Ride Plans

2014-06-20Posted by xaminmo

Riding HV, Argyle, Ponder, Krum, Denton, HV tomorrow morning. Water stops in Ponder and Krum. Food stop at Cartwright’s Ranch House.

I’m not certain about riders and winds, but I’m expecting to average 16mph on the way up, and 13.5mph on the way down.

I guess I should re-connect my front derailleur. :)
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/449816512
http://omnitech.net/xaminmo/2014/06/20/sat-krum-ride-plans/

2013-08-25 Greenbelt Trail

2013-08-25Posted by xaminmo

I had a long write-up, but FF and Strava conspired against me to eat it.

Forgot to get change, and the fee is $7. TXPWD is getting a $13 donation with my use fee.

I rode the Greenbelt trail from Hwy 380 up to FM428. From there, I got confused, and ended up on the horse trail which is brutal with no suspension. It sucked. Several hoof-traps, silt traps, spider web traps, and kamikazi crickets. So many spider webs. Also, poop everywhere!

Then, at about H8.5, AREA CLOSED! The trail was blocked by a quadrilateral of sawn trees, and a new-ish fence. Trying to get across to the hike/bike trail, I found an ancient bridge that wasn’t a bridge, and steep banks, but no way across. Doubled back, and took the hike/bike trail.

I wish I’d had wider tires and suspension, because the bike trail from FM428 to FM455 was a bit rough for 32mm tires. There is about 100 yards of paved surface on the bike/hike trail. It is mostly double-track crushed limestone, and wants for 50mm or wider tires, and front suspension. There is a sidewalk between Elm East and Elm West, and a spigot with vaguely potable water. SO SWEATY!

The ride was much more challenging/tiring than I’d expected, but it was fun to explore. I survived 27.6 miles with lots of stops. I did not go over 23.5mph. I also forgot to bring a towel. I’m glad we keep this MX blanket in the trunk. Very absorbant.

I’m still short 136 miles for August, so I need to get that this week. One of my favorite routes is now one-way, so maybe I’ll ride through Lantana to pick up some miles.

Distance: 27.59 mi
Calories: 1,964 C

Time: 2:23:36
Moving Time: 2:16:20
Elapsed Time: 3:23:18

Avg Speed: 11.5 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 12.1 mph
Max Speed: 23.3 mph

Elevation Gain: 938 ft
Elevation Loss: 912 ft
Min Elevation: 471 ft
Max Elevation: 635 ft

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/365083123
http://runkeeper.com/user/xaminmo/activity/231288099
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/365506743
http://www.strava.com/activities/77501867

PHOTOS
I brought back a metric tonne of limestone dust. Here are my wheels: Northshore-FM on the left, Greenbelt-Denton on the right.

About a third of the trails were fields like this:

At the FM455 Elm West access point, I saw a brown praying mantis checking me out:

An example of the tracks I made in the silty areas:

Here is the bridge behind the sign that says “Stay Off Bridge”:

You can’t even get to it anymore without climbing gear, and it’s pretty weak looking. Even the barricade and sign are falling into the creek.

Here is the Elm Fork between Lake Ray Roberts and Lewisville Lake:

Here is the AREA CLOSED barricade:

It’s about 5 miles from the trailhead. The other side has been fenced off, but recently enough to still have a grass-free trail. But the barricade was felled by saws long enough for the sawdust to be gone.

Eureka Park

2013-07-02Posted by xaminmo

25.70mi, 02:15:07
HV to Eureka Park and back. Hydration was 8 tea bags, 28g sugar, 8g salt, 1g potassium capsules (2x 99mg plus filler). Next time I’ll go with more sugar and less salt, but I want to stay under 4.5% total. Nutrition was a 4oz sausage, cooked, plus bread and a small nectarine for breakfast about 30 mins prior. During ride, I had a small-ish ham sandwich with mayo and lettuce at 1.3H and a few bites of another of the same at 2.1H. It started around 60F, and ended around 78F, so I only went through a litre of fluid.

I’m testing out my new 9-speed Epoch sprocket from DNP (11,13,15,17,19,21,24,28,34). The shifting isn’t quite what I’d like. It feels like it’s single ramp sometimes, and ultraglide other times. I’d like it to be dual-ramp on the 19+ tooth sprockets, because under load, on a double shift, it will move one sprocket, then spin all the way around plus some before moving to the next sprocket. This can be tough when hitting a steep incline.

Not completely sure about the 17-19 vs 18T, but so far it seems to be okay. I think I just need to get used to it. Hills were tough as expected, but recovery was good. Flats were good, and downhill was better, even a little faster than I’m comfy with. (New bearing grease shows up tomorrow). Downhill it was good, easy to rapidly upshift, and I hit a peak of 28mph. That blows away my 7-speed Shimano (14,16,18,20,22,24,34) which had me topping out at 24mph.

More shifting than on the old cone, but it seemed easier, due to more gears and slightly better spacing. Having the 28T gear in there was really helpful. I’ll hit the Grapevine NorthShore trails again on Thursday with Scott on the same drive and see how that works out. Should be better on the trails.

Garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/336436795
MapMyRide: http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/317047607
Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/64236082

Denton trek

2013-06-27Posted by xaminmo

From home to Teasley @ Windriver, and back. The little spur for Bishop Drive was disappointing. Satellite shows a gravel connector back to 2499 by a bridge sidewalk, but there’s a fence, gate, warning signs, etc. Ride out was good. Ride back was tolerable, but there is a monster hill in Copper Canyon, plus a few others coming back home that did me in. I had cold water in the pack, which kept me from getting too warm from the hills. I had a 180 calorie sport-food bar at the north stop. Still, when I got home, I had no leg power left. A little disappointed by this 20 mile/2 hour wall. I seem to have.

I think Saturday should be a ride down Morriss/Geralt to Spinks, then shimmy on the back roads and play around on the Grapevine NorthShore trails, though if I do that, I may need to either rest for an hour, or call for a rescue on the way back.

I’m trying to find a good groove for food. My gut usually doesn’t wake up until around 10am, so it’s hard to get down much for breakfast. Also, when I exercise, I lose appetite, so I have to set up waypoints/reminders (like midpoint). I’m pretty sure that 180 kcal isn’t enough for an hour of riding, but I’m not sure what to lug with me.

I dug up notes and researched again to confirm… I should be eating about 500 calories of carbs per hour while riding. That explains it. I probably had 400 calories total, half of it protein, including breakfast and the mid-ride snack.

The heat has been tough to tackle. Getting up at 5:30 so I can be out the door by sunrise is tough, but it’s a lot better to be finishing up while it’s 84F, than to be finishing up at 96F. Also, I’m using a 2L backpack. I’ll pack it full of ice, then add electrolyte and water. Even in the high 90s, it still has a little ice after 2 hours. I should probably get an electrolyte that has some calories to it. 110… “but it’s a dry heat, right?” heh. “Yah, sort of like that food left in the skillet too long.”

Ref: http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/313117353