Getting back into the groove....

...after the Summerhaven trip took a bit.  The first morning back was spent fixing broken shit around the house: one, a chimney cap that had blown off and was sitting upright like a flipped lid and two, propane tanks drained after someone (the only ginger in the house) left the pool heater on.  (Before ya ask, "why ya heating the pool in Summer?"...it was actually for the hot tub BUT I only flipped the valves back to normal pool circulation & didn't turn off the heater.  Only cost $500 to refill the tanks... which LUCKILY had not dropped below the minimum before need re-inspection).

Next day, it's hot.  Figure I will spin on the Zwift bike in the slightly less hot but still in the mid 80's garage.  Kick a pedal, there's no resistance.  Start troubleshooting the issue, try to download the update the internet says will fix the problem.  Download stalls, trainer is fucked.  Figure I will pout till the new one comes on.

Or go to the gym.

Next day Meghan leaves for a horse show in Reno.  I will be flying solo for over a week... so rather than get proactive about jumping back on a bike in 110+ degree heat, the YouTube videos come up.  I go down a rabbit hole of "how to lose visceral fat" and "You TOO can lose all this weight with one simple step".  A few hours later, my skepticism has kicked in and narrowed down the three things I should do but don't do:

• Diet & Fasting
• Zone 1 Riding
• No Alcohol

Over the last (almost) three weeks, all three options have been implemented... to some degree.  The No Alcohol Rule was not gonna happen 100%.  Maybe 90%... or more accurately 83% (as I have had drinks three of the last 17 days).  The other two have been pretty easy to start... and keep going.

As far as dieting, my plan became a bit simpler:

• drop my caloric intake to 1800 calories
• fast for as long as I can in the morning, try to get in at least a walk before breakfast
• all the meals are protein-heavy
• stop eating about 2 hours before bedtime

As far as riding, most of my rides have been in Zone 1.  Easy cruising rides, sooooo fuckin' slow... up until last weekend.  That first week was sluggish. Staying in Zone 1 was a chore, finding moments to back off and get my heart rate back under control.  By the end of the week, some short tempo bursts were added in... but it was clear that the energy really wasn't there.

Week 2 and I am jonesing to ride something more than flat roads... and Reach 11 (a flat dirt canal path).  I took the Cutty down to Phoenix Mountain Preserve for a comically slow spin until I hit the long climb from 36 Street (or so) to the saddle down to Dreamy Draw.  I was still creeping, still sooooo slow but I kept it under control (and barely in Zone 4).  

It was the start of this week that I began to FEEL the difference.  It's Labor Day, it's early and the roads are a bit clearer than usual.  Roll into Paradise Valley thinking I will hit some of the familiar climbs.  As I spin my way down, the bike feels faster...'cause it is.  My legs are churning out 16-18 mph, making decent power... but my heart rate is lower than usual.  Two weeks ago, mashing out 14 mph on Sweetwater was a struggle in Zone 1.9... touching Zone 2 if I didn't choke up.  Now I am cruising into PV in Zone 1.6, 1.7... and my legs feel loose. 

Chalk it up to a downhill maybe.  Turn right and start up Doubletree to Desert Fairways.  Still in Zone 1, still feels easy.  In fact, I climbed ALL of Desert Fairways in Zone 1... still soooooo slow but definitely at a lower heart rate.  

Starlight Wall, chugged up it and touched Zone 2.0.

Cheney, chugged up it and barely touched Zone 2.0 at the very top.

Did one sprint in front of traffic camera / speed board, hit Zone 3 and thought my lungs would implode.

Still I was inspired - has my body somehow "converted" to using more fat for energy rather than glycogen?  Everything you read or watch says that Zones 1 & 2 are where it happens.  Which made me question?  Was those first few rides running so sluggish 'cause my body didn't know how to use the fat or was it burning shitty-energy-providing fat created from beer and cheeseburgers?

Next day,  same heart rate plan, different agenda.  I had installed some new handlebars on the Mach Wu with 16 degrees of backsweep (more on that thinkin' in another post).  The plan was the same - stay in Zones 1 and 2 as much as possible.  Roll out on the same route at Apache Wash that had sent me down the path of swapping out handlebars:  Brawling Badger > Cliffwalk > Esplanade.

The last time I was here I was NOT holding back and it was a challenge to navigate the climbs, sending me into Zones 3, 4 with any slight provocation.  On Tuesday I was rolling into em' smoothly, staying in Zone 2 for the climbs.  I didn't FEEL fast but I was still rolling quicker:

• August 25th, it took 28:45 to get from the parking lot to the bridge... no stops.
• Tuesday, it took 35:12 to do the same... WITH stops.  Take away the stops & the time was 27:27.

Not my fastest time (which is 26:26) but I also didn't put in near the effort.

Come down Esplanade, feel pretty good and with less effort being expended, there seemed to be energy remaining.  Out Apache Wash Loop and open it up a bit.  In my head, "maybe I will do some Zone 3 riding... let my HR hit Zone 4 on the climbs and punches."

That lasted about two good (short) climbs before my brain was "fuckthat".  It took all of 4 1/2 minutes to realize maybe I have a bit further to go before I dig that deep.  (It was also running about 95 degrees... so there is THAT factor).

Down Apache Wash Loop to the wash.  The last time I hammered outta this wash, I hit Zone 4... and never left it until I was almost to the truck.  This time I hammered outta the wash, saw Zone 4 and eased off... and soon I was in Zone 2.  I told myself, "self, if you're still running this easy at Sidewinder, ya oughta climb it"

So I did.  I settled into Zone 3, pedaling sooooo fuckin' slow but enjoying it.  Why I have always dug climbing slow, methodically picking my line through rocks and bumps is unexplainable... but it has been one of my favorite things to do ever since I began riding 20+ years ago.  The lil' TV in my brain always drifts back to that shitty, rock-strewn climb on a seldom-used (and no longer available) stretch of the Sauratown Trail.  Mike B (and Christine, once) and I used to session it a few times until we succeeded... or lost all energy, whichever came first. 

Up, over the top and bombing the downhill side was a blast with more lucidity than ever... since I hadn't burned my house down in my brain.  I still botched that one left hand dip, poorly timing the shift.  Soon I was back at the truck, soon I was loaded up and happy with myself.

After all that, ya might ask, "well, is this a long-winded way of saying all this bullshit is working?"

Well, yea.  I am down from 239 pounds to 229.  I have lost a couple of inches in my waist.  My blood sugar has dropped 8-10 points.  My blood pressure is well below the limit.

Yea, I miss the beer...but not as much as I thought I might.  I had two on Saturday for the start of college fool's ball watching.  I felt okay Sunday morning but my mood was crappy.   I had one glass of wine after Meghan got home from Reno and felt okay.  End of that week, we had more wine with a new neighbor and the next morning was a bit sluggish.  We had Thai food and wine last night... and this morning was a struggle (but that was Thai food moreso than the vino.)

I don't miss the cheeseburgers or pizza... not the restaurant versions.  The last pizza I had was undercooked and left an impression the next morning.  The last burger I had sent me into a lethargic food coma.  So... no, I don't miss the crappy food.

The early morning Zone 1 rides, even when it's 90 degrees, are some of my favorites now.  No agenda, no expectation, no metrics to hit... just cruise.  If I get passed, I could care less.  If I ever pass anyone, I will write about it here.

Until then, later.