Too fat to be a cyclist. Too skinny to be a weightlifter.

[Big Good Wolf]

Whoops, that's what you get when you copy & paste without checking what you've pasted.
Thanks for pointing that out, I'll go back and edit it.

[Big Good Wolf]

Training ride today in preparation for the Spam Biking Winter Challenge on the 30th.
50km at an average of 11.6km/h
A bit slow, but I can't resist exploring so I end up lost in the woods walking up impossible to ride steep hills. I ought to work out a circuit on good tracks and stick to it.
I'm experimenting with eating and drinking while I'm out as well. Normally I just take a water bottle and that's it. Today I wore a hydration pack with 2l of water, a 1l water bottle full of chocolate soya milk and two Nakd apple bars. I also had a carton of soya custard before I left.
I got through about half the water while riding and took the opportunity while stopped at gates or walking hills to have a drink of chocolate or eat a Nakd bar.
I've never felt so good after a long ride before. Normally it turns in to a plod after 30km or so, today I was charging flat out right up to the end.
I'm also experimenting with clothing. I bought a thin hat to wear under my helmet and tried it on a short ride with the dog before the main ride. I soon got too hot, so left it off. Short sleeve shirt, thin long sleeve shirt and windproof jacket with tights and overshoes was about right for sub zero temperatures.

[Big Good Wolf]

Just a short low weight, high rep session at Moggy's today;

Bench press;
120x25kg

Squat ;
50x25kg

[Big Good Wolf]

Mountain bike ride starting from Moggy's, so over the mountain instead of through the forest for a change.

26.6km at 7.9km/h

I tried to follow a bridle path over the mountain and ended up walking through bogs and scrambling over boulders. Parts of it were easy to follow, with a line of boulders down each side and a well worn track in the middle. In other places it just completely disappeared and I was left wandering along in generally the right direction until I found it again. When I eventually regained the road I found I had actually crossed from one bridle path to another without realising it at the time.
I returned on the road then set off along another track and bridle path which also disappeared before going very far up the mountain. It then started to rain so I gave up and turned round returning via a couple more bridle paths which were a bit better defined as they crossed farm land rather than open mountain.

[Big Good Wolf]

At Moggy's with the vinyl weights rounded down from pounds to kgs;

Bench press;
5x36kg
5x40kg
10x5x45kg

Clean;
5x5x45kg

Bent over rows;
5x5x45kg

Dumbell press;
5x5x14kg

[Big Good Wolf]

At Moggy's still;

Tuesday;
Bench press;
10x5x45kg

Wednesday;
Mountain biking;
27km at 9.1km/h
Exploring again, trying to find a short cut through to the woods. Ended up walking, or more like paddling, across boggy fields trying to follow paths on the map which simply don't exist in the real world.

[Big Good Wolf]

At the gym;

Concept 2 rower;
2000m in 7.43

Deadlift;
5x90kg
5x100kg
5x110kg
5x120kg
5x120kg

Bench press;
5x40kg
5x50kg
5x50kg
5x50kg
5x55kg

Push press;
5x35kg
5x40kg
5x45kg
3x45kg failed on the 4th.

Dumbbell snatch;
5x22.5kg
5x22.5kg
5x25kg
5x25kg
5x25kg

Swimming;
5x40m

[Big Good Wolf]

Sunday;
52km mountain bike race. 2.44.55 - 19.2km/h - 90th out of 336

Tuesday at Moggy's;

Mountain bike, 37km

Bench press;
5x5x45kg

Push press;
5x5x45kg

Press ups;
100 in 10 minutes

[Big Good Wolf]

Wednesday;

Mountain biking;
12km to work and back.

Thursday;
Press ups
120 in 10 minutes.

Got carried away sawing up firewood and left it too late to get to the gym so a very short session at home.

Bench press;
5x5x45kg
5x5x50kg
5x5x50kg
5x5x50kg
5x5x55kg

Mountain biking;
12km to work and back.
Getting colder now. Started wearing a hat under my helmet and taking a warmer jacket to wear on the way home.

[The Duke]

Wednesday;

Bench press;
5x5x45kg
5x5x50kg
5x5x50kg
5x5x50kg
5x5x55kg

GBW ... have you gone crazy with all those 5's again or did you really do 25 sets of bench press?

[Big Good Wolf]

Doh, I'm going to have to start reading what I copy & paste before I post it.
It was the usual 5 sets of 5 with the weight increasing from the first to last set, so yes, it should have read;

Bench press;
5x45kg
5x50kg
5x50kg
5x50kg
5x55kg

[Big Good Wolf]

Friday at home;

Deadlift;
3x10x100kg

Bench press;
3x10x50kg

Mountain biking;
12km each way to work and back

Saturday at the gym;

Concept 2 rower;
2000m in 8.24. Took it easy trying to give my legs a rest.

Deadlift;
5x100kg
5x110kg
5x120kg
5x120kg
5x120kg

Squat;
5x50kg
5x60kg
5x60kg
5x60kg
5x70kg

Bench press;
5x50kg
5x50kg
5x50kg
5x55kg
5x55kg

Snatch;
5x35kg
5x35kg
5x40kg
5x40kg
5x45kg

Dumbbell snatch;
5x20kg
5x22.5kg
5x25kg
5x25kg
5x27.5kg

[fredrikw]

Another training log I have to follow then

What's your plan for the MTB training? You'll soon outgrow just commuting, and especially if you're aiming at doing longer races 2x12km is nothing.

[Big Good Wolf]

My plan. Oh, er, yes, my plan. Ride further, faster and more often. That should do it.
I definitely want to do more MTB events. After getting 90th out of 336, I'm aiming for finishing in the top quarter next time. I think that's a realistic and worthwhile goal, bearing in mind most of the top guys are twenty years younger than me.
I was extending my ride home some nights to get more miles in, but I've sort of given up on that since the weather got colder. What I ought to do is work out a regular longer route to work and allow time to do it every day.
I will probably do the Hell of the North Cotswolds race and the second Merida Bikes MTB Marathon event at Builth Wells, the first one clashes with HonC.
I want to do a few long rides around Brecon, in particular the Epynt Way, to try them out as possible days out for our European biking meet up.

[fredrikw]

Sounds good. The important thing in the beginning is not so much to have the exact right plan, but to actually have a plan. Otherwise you might find yourself in four months time having just done the same old weight lifting as usual, and not really done anything on the bike except commuting.

One good thing about winter training is that it hardens you mentally, no matter how shitty the weather will be on a race during spring/summer, it will never be as bad as the worst winter rides.

Sounds like a good choice of races. I'd however chose the Builth Wells Exposure Lights Big Night Out Night Marathon, get those lights working for you