Kickdrum On The Basement Floor

PM: 95 Minutes Trainer Ride, w/ Workout

Workout: 10 X 1 minute Hard/Easy, 4 x 3 minutes very hard, 1 min Recovery

All intentions of riding outside went out the window when I arrived home to see the Penn Relays coverage was about to start. After ten minutes in on my trainer ride I really regretted my decision. The first 15 minutes was spent on the 4 x 100, a race that took 37.9 seconds. I started to forgive when they showed the entire college mens 4 x 800 but the DMR took the piss. Ato Bolden, who in all fairness knows his sprinting has no place commentating on a distance event. He made a balls of the last leg refering to Nate Brannan as Matt Lincoln all the way. He also said that Lopes Lamong was sitting in at the back when he was leading the thing. He mixed up Lopes with the Kenyan despite Lopes wearing an obvious white USA singlet and the Kenyan wearing a Red and Green Kenya singlet. Embarrassing. I opted to watch Sky Sports News and put on 'Editors" while doing my reps. It was fantastic. I felt strong and worked my ass off. The level of satisfaction I now feel is joyous.The new Passion Pit album has leaked onto the interweb. Why can't people like me just wait for the album to come out. Remember the days when you used to go to the record shop the day an album or single was going to be released. Wonderful times. I used to go to Paddy Conners to get the latest and greatest 12" techno tunes. Sometimes their would be a line to get in because there may only be 1 or 2 of a latest import. Now its all about getting it early and giving it a listen on mp3. But I continue to do it, I participate in the animal that is the blogosphere and I search for premature releases for hours. I don't feel too bad about the new Passion Pit album because I will buy it as soon as it comes out and I am going to see them on this tour. Amazing stuff.


I was reading about a dude from Sweden who records under the name "The Legends". His list of influences include, The Smiths, The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys. Obviously I am going to like him. I stumbled on his myspace page through a blog that I read daily. Anyway, I know little about him but I fully intend on spending the next few hours finding out more and maybe purchasing an album or EP. Little poppy and maybe cheesy but I am a glutton for nu wave. Check him out on the belo"New Order" rip off track and Euro video.... brilliant.

Peace and Love,
Kel

The Truth Is, You're No where Near.

PM: 63 Minutes Trainer Ride

So after another day in the office I opted to risk dry socket and I jumped on the bike for a steady ride. The arbitrary duration of the ride was a result of being summoned to the shower since myself and Frankie were meeting Coxy and Mylene for some Noodles 102 on Ives Street. Amazing. The ride was great and felt extremely easy. No intervals or anything, just steady cadence while watching a re run of the Man U Arsenal game.

A band that has been doing the rounds on my iTunes is War Tapes They are fantastic and sound like Echo And The Bunnymen meets Franz Ferdinand, except a little more post nu wave. They call their music Doom-Pop on their myspace but I find nothing doom about it. It makes me want to get up and dance. What is very cool is that they have allowed a free download of their ttrack 'Dreaming Of You", so you can get that here. The new album 'The Continental Divide" is out next month and I managed to snag 5 songs from the blogosphere that all sound great. I am listening to more passion pit but these are still great and once the album is released I will be supporting with a purchase of it and some tickets to their Paradise show in July. Check out "Dreaming Of You" live. I love current vocalists that sing like the nu wave artists of the 80's.

Peace and Love
Kel

Call Me Morbid, Call Me Pale

NO TRAINING

The tooth ache I had today was brutal. Imagine feeling like you are chewing on a razor blade and you will get the picture. I had to avoid training today because I am at risk of experiencing something called "Dry Socket", a very painful ailment apparently. For some reason the area is still exceptionally sore. I did not sleep last night and I was eating vicodin to get through the night. With driving to work I had to avoid the drugs and throughout the day my mouth was getting me down. Now that I'm home I am feeling nice again. So back training tomorrow and another band that is giving me feelings of overwhelming joy will be discussed.

Love Kel

Smile On Me

AM: 90 Minutes, Trainer Ride.

Why do a trainer ride when it is 65 degrees and little wind? Well, I had a trip to the dentist on schedule so I decided today would be easy and I would bang out a quick 45 minutes. However, just like happens with running I was lost in the sounds of my iPod and really enjoying the ride. The fatigue I had upon wake up was gone after 10 minutes and I wanted to ride for 2 hours. My only limitation was my scheduled appointment with Dr Brad Kaplan. During the ride I did some one leg efforts to try and improve my economy. I have some issues with my leg length discrepancy and my right groin hurts on pulling up so basically if I were to be serious about biking (which I'm not) I would get professionally fitted to my bike.

I had my last wisdom tooth removed. It had decayed really bad and the exposed nerves were causing me to eat Advil like M&M's which I don't think is healthy. Ironically this one tooth extraction was worse than when I had the other three together. It was left in initially because it looked alright and was coming through nicely but when sometime last year half of it was chewed with my foot clearly the time had some to get rid of it. I avoided the proceedure but last weekend it somewhat ruined my Boston weekend and has been hurting since. Now its gone and I am enjoying my music with some Vicodin and good energy.

Today I found two new bands to become obsessed with. The first is Passion Pit, a group from Boston! They have been around for a couple of years and have an ep released that I purchased today. A forthcoming album in May will be their first long player. They are awesome and very refreshing. The music is really uplifting with elements of Crystal Castles, Postal Service (they opened for Death Cab) and 80's synth pop. I heard one of their songs from Pitchfork's top videos of 2008 and after I heard the same song on the local college radio station I figured I needed some of it. Perfect music for right now. This video is for Sleepyhead, a track with lots of house music influence and baleraic tones. Enjoy>

Love Kel

Just As The Drinks Arrive

AM: 51.6 Miles, 2:42, Blvd, Bike Path, Colt State Park
PM: 45 Minutes Trainer Ride with Hill Climb simulation

Just a great day of training and lots of energy. It was hot, hot, hot today. About 88 degrees and windy so not ideal bike conditions. This AM I rode 30 miles with Coxy and added on another 21 myself although the desire to keep riding was at times overwhelming. I was so disappointed that I had to stop. So why did I stop? Its called learning a little bit about my body and this whole cycling game. I was extremely warm and without fluids. My skin was starting to burn so I badly needed sun block and hydration. When I got home I realized how much salt was around my face and with the temps getting warmer still I opted to stop. Jumping on the bike for some more action this afternoon was motivation and excitment that needed tending to. After a long run your legs feel smashed but after a bike ride the feeling is different. I was tired today but my legs felt strong and the additional afternoon session was great. Not that I am saying its better than running! Nothing is better than running and this bike game is a means to an end. Eventually it will be an end in itself but every ride, every training session and every sweat fest on the fluid trainer my thoughts and visualization is on running and the return to competition hopefully this fall. Another good week of training and with weather improving all the time it looks like these next few weeks will be time to raise the threshold and make some fitness gains.

Love Kel

With Your Back To The Wall, You've Got One Place To Fall

AM: 57.3 Miles, 2:52:30, Solo, Blvd, Bike Path, Colt State Park.

Tough morning on the bike. The weather was fantastic but there was the typical spring wind and it was out to give me a lot of trouble. I opened up with some steady laps of the Blvd and then I hit the bike path to head for Colt State Park. It was a stiff head wind all the way and in stubborn and maybe a little amateur fashion I rode hard. I was already feeling it by the time I arrived at the park and I was slugging down my fluids because of the increasing temps and pollen. My goal was to ride 3 laps of the park hard, giving me a 10 mile tempo. The wind on the opening stretch was stiff, whipping of the ocean. By the third lap I had slowed and I was struggling to maintain the speed of the first two laps. My Heart Beat my coming through my chest so I clearly went over the top and my "tempo" was now a VO2 session. I figured the wind aided return to P-Town would be exactly what I need but I still rode hard back and when I got to the Blvd I experienced my second Bonk on the bike. I had intended on doing three laps to give me over 3 hr and 60+ miles but after two laps my legs were shaking and I was becoming a little wobbly. I came home and felt like going to sleep. The Bonk is really unusual and I need to learn that if I am going to ride hard and at a high HR for a long time I need to get my nutrition down. Running is so much easier! Speaking of which, my knee felt pretty good on the bike today and right now I am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to start Alter-G sessions in the next few weeks. Tomorrow is recovery, an easy 2+ hours with Coxy.

Peace and Love,

Kel

All Sparks Will Burn Out

PM: 42 Miles, 2:07, Bike Path and Blvd

I traveled back from Atlanta today and despite it being warm here in P-Town it felt truly refreshing compared to the humid, hot, sticky weather down south. I jumped on the bike when I got back and I rode the first 32 miles hard, before meeting up with Frankie for an easy 10 mile add on. I felt great and it was really nice to get out for a nice ride. Knee got a little sore when I upped the tempo and found myself out of the saddle on climbs. On the bike path I was comfortable riding High Cadence and spinning along at 22+ mph in a spin gear. I have been reading a lot of the stuff Cody Hill sent me and there was a lot of conditioning with interval work and high cadence work. Cody rode for the US National U23 squad with guys like Levi and Vaughters. Family commitments made him hang up the bike but he still has a lot of wisdom to offer. The training program is pretty hardcore and I certainly won't be able to do it all but it gives me ideas on how to structure my bike work until I can finally get back running.

Just watched "Hunger", a powerful portrait of the final months of Bobby Sands life. He was an IRA Hunger Striker in the Maze Prison who embarked on his second hunger strike going 66 days without food before his death. It is a very moving piece.

Off to bed, but check out this awesome version of "Daniel" by Bat For Lashes. Only 4 days till we witness it at the Paradise Rock Club in Beantown.

Peace and Love,
Kel

They Did Me Dirty

Wednesday: AM 90 Minutes Hard Spin

Got off the bike and had to head straight to the airport for a trip to the ATL and some Big Peach energy. We stopped off in Spartanburg, SC to check out the Adidas Group Distribution Center. Now I know why we had shipping issues over the last year and now I completely believe that we will get better and eventually have some of the best shipping in the business. The place is amazing and at 1,000,000 sq feet its huge!. But the whole day was kicked off with some solid spinning. I pretty much hammered 90 minutes and now I hang in the ATL having done nothing all day but drive and talk. Home tomorrow and back into the groove. All good in the hood,

Love Kel

Four Four

PM: 75 Minutes Trainer Ride, 5 x 1 min on/off, 10 min tempo, 6 x 1 min on/off

Got home after a long day of work and was completely wiped. I had some issues with my back tooth. It was impacted by the wisdom tooth I had removed and now it is falling apart. I had a crazy tooth ache that was extremely painful and I am ready to get it removed on Monday. We stayed in Boston last night so Frankie could recover and it was good move. I hit the office and got the things I need to get done before I head to South Carolina tomorrow. I arrived home and although shattered I jumped on the bike and watched sky sports news to see the interviews with the managers after the Liverpool Arsenal 4-4 draw and the game that may loose Liverpool the league.

It was great to see everyone hobbling around Boston this morning. I love the aftermath of a Marathon, looking at everyone struggling to walk down stairs etc. My boss Kev Adams was suffering a little today but he was not as bad as one would expect considering he only did 10 weeks of running. The Boston Marathon is great.

In a recent comment some one mentioned that I should not be surprised that Tyler Hamilton tested positive again. Please don't take what I was saying literally. I was more surprised that he got himself in a position to be caught again because it makes him look like an idiot. I never for one second assumed he was clean. It is just sad that guys like Hamilton just can't say no. The drugs must be amazing.

Also, I've had many people suggest the new Silversun Pickups album to me. I did listen thoroughly to their first album "Carnavas", and I enjoyed some of it so I will get this new album. I listened to the tracks on their myspace and I will make the purchase tomorrow. Good stuff that you can check in the youtube box below. Bit of a MEW vibe to this new album?

Love Kel

Marathon Monday

A tough day in Boston for many people. Frankie had a tough one as did Mylene and many of my other friends. Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall both ran amazing considering the conditions and of course the top 3 all ran amazing. Not a nice day but in an amazing day if you know what I mean.

Love Kel

Boston And Dreaming

Just finished three days of Expo and about to hit the scratch early so Frankie can be rested and ready for her marathon tomorrow. I will not move on in life until I have raced both the NYC and Boston Marathons. Thats a promise I am making to myself. Knee wreckage or no knee wreckage. Speaking of which, the three days of expo have not helped things but a job is a job and I enjoy doing it. Can't believe Tyler Hamilton was busted for drugs. What a sad end to a sad situation.

Love Kel

Zero

Nothing to post regarding training. But to Mr Iron, the weather today was lovely!

So tired,

Kelrock

Don't Have To Be Beautiful, But It Helps.

AM: 45 Minutes Easy Spin Bike

Easy day today with lots of work to be done. Headed into Boston for day 1 of the Marathon. Just done now at 11 bells so I am off to bed.

Love kelrock

Pink Cloud Tracing Paper

AM: 60 Minutes, Trainer
PM: 75 Minutes, Trainer
w/ 10 mins 10/20, 5 mins 20/10, 5 mins 30/30, 5 x 1 min on/off

Arrived home to a lovely package of running gear and product sent by Cody Hill of Boulder Running CO Colorado Springs. What a generous gift and one I am extremely gracious for. I flicked through one of the books he sent and saw the Johnathan Vaughters workout of 10/20 so thought I'd do it with some variation. My day kicked off with a lovely hour on the trainer in the AM. I rode pretty steady and worked up a good sweat. Was hoping to do more but never put out a water bottle and my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth after 40 minutes. In the PM I did a session of 10 sec very hard, 20 sec float for 10 minutes then I made it harder for 5 minutes by riding 20 on 10 float. I pushed it out to 30 sec hard, 30 sec float before finishing off with 5 x 1 minute hard with a 1 minute float recovery. The workout is supposed to work on explosive power which is seen in Euro bike racing where there are lots of speed changes. A great day of training.

Today marked the 20th Anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster. I watched on LFC.tv and it was very moving. I remember watching the event as a 12 year old not understanding why Liverpool fans were doing this to each other. It was only after that I realised the ticketing mishaps and the destructive nature of terraces and large fences. Of course the officials must take much of the blame for not opening the gates to allow fans onto the pitch thinking it was just a minor crowd disruption. And the gates they did open were outside just encourtaging more fans to try and enter. Fans were literally dying in front of the police and they did nothing. It was really sad to watch it all again. 96 Liverpool fans that will never be forgotten. You'll Never Walk Alone.
This Pic is of The KOP after the incident happened 20 years ago.
Peace and Love,

Kel

When Anger Shows

AM: 75 Minutes, Blvd with JAY
PM: 60 Minutes, Trainer Ride

Finally got my ass out for a weekday ride. I met up with Jay Rom early in the AM for an easy 75 min jaunt around the Blvd and adjoining streets. We had good conversations about biking and how it relates to running and running fitness. Jay has many years of reading about these sports under his belt and is a great resource for me to use. Not to mention that he wrote for music rags including Rolling Stone and worked in old skool record stores. Maybe my dream job. For some PM action I jumped on the trainer and belted out a hard hour ride. I needed to get the frustration of todays game out. Liverpool drew with Chelsea in an epic 4-4 battle at Stamford Bridge. We needed to win by 2 goals and we were 2-0 up but Chelsea brought it back to 3-2 before we made it 4-3. In the last minute Frank Lampard equalized putting paid to any chance we have of qualifying. Ah well, there is always the league, we are not out of that yet.

Since I posted some Asobi Seksu yesterday I have found myself revisiting "Citrus", a great album I picked up last year. It is their second album coming on the heels of a self-titled debut which is very nice indeed. They have a new album out "Hush" but it is not as good in my opinion despite having some epic moments. Asobi are your classic shoegazing, post nu wave band. I like the term shoegazing but it drips of teen angst and that side of it I don't like. I find their music to nbe incredibly uplifting and inspiring. Yuki's vocals are very blissfull and layered over the dream pop, guitar and synth driven music it makes for excellent melody that evokes lots of the same nostalgia heard on M83's most recent outing. With Asobi Seksu you got songs in Japanese and English, and either way every tune has such a positive, catchy vibe. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic wishing I was back in the 80's with more cop-on but regardless of my notions this is a band I rate very highly and suggest you get some of it sharpish.

Meanwhile I am listening to Editors right now. Maybe the most underrated British band. I need to discuss this further and in more detail. My mood can be held in sharp contrast with the vibe of yesterday. Two solid training sessions today and despite the reds hiccup in the champions league I am going to bed feeling good and ready for more work tomorrow. One day fitter, happier, and more productive. One day closer to running again.

Love Kel

In Treatment

PM: 80 Minutes Trainer Ride

Lovely day and there I am on the trainer. Its the constant battle to deal with time versus effort. Getting home from work at 6 bells leaves a window of opportunity to ride before it gets dark at about 7:15. It also gets cold so the tendency is to stay close to home. Anyway, by the time I get in and get set it is 6:15. So is it better to get out for 90 minutes or stay inside and ride a steady 80 minutes? I don't have the answer but as per our conversation last week it seems that the trainer offers a better use of time because of the zero free wheeling and zero downhills. It is constant riding and I tend to push it hard because I just like that.

Tomorrow I will be getting outside in the AM with the AAA Jay Romasco. I am going to try and get in double days if it is possible. Mainly to stick as close to running scheduling as possible. Knee is not really improving but it does not hurt on the bike. Thats the issue that gets to me more than anything. I feel like I am fit but I have no confidence in this knee pain going away. I think that the problem will last longer than the small fractures in the bone. It is the underlying knee structure weakness that I am concerned about. The reduction in cartilage and miniscus. However, no matter what happens to the knee I do think I will be able to run eventually but right now I have to push back my start date. As long as the bike riding has no negative affects on my body I'll keep lashing away and even racing. I have grown to love the old two wheeler but I want a run at these Euro Champs and a Marathon eventually but the bike will always be part of the game moving forward. Little bit negative today but some days thats just the way it goes. At least there is always Asobi Seksu.

Love Kel

The Battle Becomes Blinding

PM: 2:15 On Trainer.

The weather wasn't actually that bad but there was a cold wind and the air temps were hovering int he mid 30's. After being so cold yesterday and feeling like I am on the brink of actually catching a chill I decided, after much procrastination, to workout inside. My goal was to do between 2 and 3 hours with a workout in the middle. I did an hour of steady spinning before a 5 min rep, 2 min rec, 10 minute rep, 2 min rec, 5 minute rep, 2 min rec followed by 10 x 1 minute on/off. The rest was cool down. I actually would have gone to 2.5 hours but my left ass was killing me and my hammy and calves were cramping up. The excessive sweat and little fluids contributed significantly to this feeling. Over all it was a great work out because I was not hanging around for the first 2 hours. Only the last 15 minutes was true spinning and recovery. Perfect precursor to watching the Hell Of The North.
With Saturday being a bit of a wash and today only getting in 2:15 I ended up with a poor week of training and a ways below my goal of 12 hours in the saddle.

Monday: AM: 75 Minutes trainer, steady.
Tuesday: PM Bike, 30 Min WU, 8x3min Hard, 30 Min CD (90 min total)
Wednesday: PM: 75 Minutes Steady Trainer Ride
Thursday: PM: Trainer Workout 10 X 1 Min Hard/Easy, 55 min Total
Friday: AM: 45 Minutes Easy Spin
Saturday: AM: 25 Miles, Road, Chester Ct. 1:20
Sunday: PM: 2:15 On Trainer, 5 min, 10 min, 5 min, 10 x 1 min on/off

Week Total: 9:15, core work.

Disappointing week of training but given the real excuses I don't feel too mad about it and I need to move on. Focus must be a priority with the upcoming week of work I have. I am bringing my bike to Boston for the duration of the marathon and expo so I don't want excuses!

Peace and Love

Kel

Blue Lights On The Runway

AM: 25 Miles, Road, Chester Ct.

Awful doesn't begin to describe today's aborted training session. For some reason the winter refuses to leave the North East. I jumped out of bed ready for a 14.5 mile time trial to be followed by a 2 hour hard ride. I made it through the warm up, if I can call it that and called it a day. The situation was dire. Not to go on about the weather but it was 40 and lashing rain with strong winds. Funny enough it didn;t seem too bad and I was still motivated to join the other 6 seasoned cyclists. One difference though is that I am an AMATURE and a journeyman when it comes to the bike. My running tights, base layer and wind breaker was no where near enough clothing. After 15 miles I could not feel my upper body and my arms were shaking uncontrollably. After 20 miles I could no longer pull my breaks due to my hands being froze to the handle bars. I have rarely been this cold and once the warm up was over, Dan (team captain of sorts) told me to get my ass in the shower. These guys all had gore-tex cycling jackets and water proof everything. I on the otherhand thought I'd be fine in running gear. Idiot. Being stubborn I was determined to get changed, borrow a water proof coat and catch up but it was futile. I was shivering so bad that I could not get my base layer off. It was stuck to my skin. Everything however came right when I noticed 2 of the guys coming with me into the house. They too were abandoning for similar reasons. They had all the gear but lack of a water proof jacket had them hitting the showers. These are both cat 2 riders who assured me that I was doing the right thing and that I was a little silly for assuming a wind breaker and one base layer was going to cut it. The rest of the guys had a good time trial but bagged the 2 hour ride after and came in. All in all it was a bit of a wash and I feel very unsatisfied. I wanted to get on the trainer but felt damp all day and besides I had a party to attend in Boston.

Tom McArdle is trying to make fun of me on his blog. Its embarrassing. How the mighty have fallen. Today I spent a lot of time listening to my newest purchases and I am impressed with the new Bell X1 album. Its called Blue Lights On The Runway and has a very Talking Heads feel. I heard it when I was at home driving to the park for a run with Vinny and I immediately enjoyed it. The run was great too even if it does seem like a distant memory now. Check out "The Great Defector" track in the youtube, its awesome and this live version is very cool.

The heart must go on,

Love Kel

Are You Ready To Flow

AM: 45 Minutes Easy Spin

Yes, even in the world of biking where there is no impact the need for rest or easy days is very important, especially when tomorrow I have my first bike test. A real bike workout with real cyclists that will kick my ass. Lovely.

Tom McArdle does not like the track I posted. You can read the below comments. He said it was embarrassing. I find this laughable. Tom, this is a small band from Germany that no one knows of and through the blogosphere I found them and they remind me of Interpol. I like it a lot. You just go home and listen to Coldplay's greatest hits.

I bid you all a weekend of hard work. I am going to hammer myself in the AM and I may not sleep well because I am so excited.

Love Kel

Yes I'm A Radiohead Whore, No I Don't Care.

Thursday: PM: Trainer Workout 10 X 1 Min Hard/Easy, 55 min Total

Traffic on the way home from work put paid to my planned hill session that the guru of all things 2 wheels JMACK gave me. So since I planned on doing a hill that was about one minute long I just did the minute efforts in a hard gear on my trainer getting my HR up to 180 on the efforts. It was actually a fantastic workout although a little short as I like to get in over an hour on every session. Time was against me, just as it is in life.

There were some nice comments regarding the conversion or relationship between time in the saddle versus running. I have heard about the 3-1 ratio etc. Again I disagree with all of this. It is sport specific and the better you are at one of the disciplines the more skewed the ratio becomes. Reading comments by GZ and JMAck they both say they have heard the ratio between 3-1 and 5-1. There is no way this is the case for a runner using the bike for XT. First off, Runners are impetuous so we do not ride easy, we tend to push hard. We are not used to eating and drinking during exercise so this is another aspect that separates us. And if the ratio is as they say why can I, a very fit runner, JOG 10 miles in under 60 minutes but feel completely exhausted after a steady 40 mile ride. It is because my muscles are not used to riding so therefore the 40 mile ride or 2 hours in the saddle is equivalent to a long run, if not harder, for right now. Last Saturday I did a solo 45 mile ride in the strong spring wind and when I got done I was completely wiped. Much more so than I would have been had I did a track session or tempo run. I am sure once I get used to the bike the ratio will change but for right now my heart and lungs don't know the difference between the exercise I'm doing and my heard trainer rides for 75 minutes feel like hard runs for 75 minutes, not 5 mile runs like the ratios would suggest. Comments are welcome but I doubt anyone will convience me otherwise. Take a pro cyclist who routinely trains 4+ hours a day and ask them to go for a hard 90 minute run and I guarantee they will tell you the 90 minute run was significantly harder than their 4-5 hour ride. Its what your used to.

Right now, writing this post I am listening to a German band named Diego. I never heard of these guys but they sound very like Interpol and Editors, two of my favorite bands and since I need a fix of this dark, 80's tinged rock, Diego has come into my world at a perfect time. Check them out at their myspace. I know its almost a rip off of the two bands I mentioned but they do it well so I can forgive them and in fact encourage more. The youtube below is one of their songs so have a listen and let me know what you think.

Signing off to go and get a Synvisk injection in my knee. Training today is an easy spin before hell tomorrow. I am going to put myself under tomorrow and I can't wait. The burning lactic in the legs and the taste of blood in back of my throat........lovely.

Hope everyone is feeling fitter, happier, and much more productive............At Ease.

Peace and Love,
Kel

PS Dont mind the intro!

Theres No Other Love

Tuesday: PM Bike, 30 Min WU, 8x3min Hard, 30 Min CD (90 min total)

Wednesday: PM: 75 Minutes Steady Trainer Ride

The Internet at my house officially does not work. I brought home my work computer (IBM Thinkpad) and I think it infected my MAC only zone. Since then my router while being recognised does not provide the Internet. I can hardwire to the modum but in the waves of wireless something happens. Basically I need a new router so I will buy one at Best Buy asap. This has really disrupted my nightly blogging routine.

On Tuesday I did a hard trainer workout and I sweat enough fluids to fill a small inflatable pool. I rode 8 x 3 minute efforts in a big gear pushing my HR up to 180+ and on the 2 minute recovery it would drop quickly. I think this is a sign of fitness but I'm not sure. I followed it up last night with a steady trainer ride, progressing through 75 minutes of effort. I had a lack of motivation after the Liverpool game but once in the action of riding I forgot about the awful display and got lost in thoughts and music.

I am slowing starting to enjoy the riding and I foresee a diversion into more of this world in a few years when I know my running will be done. I have recently harboured aspirations to do an Ironman and maybe in a couple of years I will train for one. Ultimately I would rather just run but with the state of my body I can't imagine I will ever be able to train for a marathon to run at the level I am capable of.

The biking has served as a useful XT tool. I don't enjoy swimming or water running. It requires a swimming pool which is not exactly at my finger tips. The bike requires more time for the same fitness gains and as Cody Hill told me the otherday, biking training is exactly that, its biking. It should not be compared to running. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what a 2 hour ride is worth in running terms, 5 miles, 10 miles? But as Cody said, its worth 2 hours of biking. It will keep the heart and lungs strong and it will keep the weight off and motivation high but when I start back running I will have to put in the same base as always and teach my body to run again. So will all the biking help? YES. Is it a substitute for running? NO. So with that being said I need to figure out a way to keep it in the repertoire when I do start running. It can supplement running but to be a good runner you need to run and therefore I need to run, and run a lot. But right now, its about the bike and everything that surrounds it.

Love KEL

Fluo Kids

AM: 75 Minutes trainer, steady.

I had no internet at home last night because my linksys system is bollixed so i could not post yesterdays training. I will obviously try to fix it tonight because I need to be online and I have lots of things to discuss. Namely the fact that I got the new Pet Shop Boys and Doves albums. On quick listen they both sound good and tonight when I do a trainer workout I will listen to both straight through.
Hope everything is amazing,

Love Kel

Clinging Onto Bottles

AM: 54 Miles, 2:42, Providence to Narragansett w/ Add On

Myself and coxy set out on a ride down to meet the ladies in Narragansett. They were doing a Boston prep run with a large group so the plan was to ride down, add on if we have to, and hit up Crazy Burger, a place that serves fantastic veggie burgers. We had a generous tail wind that occasionally hit us from the side but compared to yesterday it was amazing. It was 32 miles to get down there and we added on. Lee stopped at 40 miles so I added on the Blessing Of The Fleet 10 mile course and made it a little longer. I pushed the last 14 miles by myself. I felt amazing today and regret not getting over 60 miles. This would have been a nice milestone but it will have to wait until next Saturday.

Week Ended Up As Follows

Monday: AM: 61 Minute trainer ride.

Tuesday: AM: Trainer, 20 min WU, 15 Sec on/off 6 Minutes, 20 Minutes CD

Wednesday: AM: 62 Minutes Trainer Ride.

Thursday: PM: Trainer Workout. 20 Min wu, 2 sets 5 x 1 min on/off, 3 min of 15 sec on/off, 20 Min CD

Friday: PM: 75 Minutes Trainer Ride.

Saturday: AM: 44 Mile Ride, 2:17, Very Hilly, Very Windy, Scituate Res

Sunday: AM: 54 Miles, 2:42, Providence to Narragansett w/ Add On

Week Total: 10 + Hours riding. Good solid first week of bike training. My goal is to get in 15 hours a week but it will be tough with work so its all about taking advantage of the time I have.

Today was the Bupa 10k in Dublin. Another bittersweet day for me personally. I was supposed to run this race and it would have suited me down to the ground with the rolling hills of the Phoenix  Park right up my street. Fagan ran great to finish 3rd just getting out kicked and Vinny had a great run in 5th. Mary Cullen kept her wonderful season on track with a solid runner up effort. Great to see a 10,000 person race like this continue to grow. There may be another running boom on the way to Ireland!

Peace and Love,

Kel

When The Battle Was Won

AM: 44 Mile Ride, 2:17, Very Hilly, Very Windy, Scituate Res

The wind was howling this morning and that makes for painful solo bike riding conditions. It didn't help that I chose one of the hillier loops to ride but I figured that doesn't flog me will make me stronger. The ride did flog me however, but also made me stronger. I have a lot of respect for cyclists. It is quite hard for me to fathom how 44 miles is not even a warm up for a stage in a tour, not to mention a classic like tomorrows Tour Of Flanders. It goes both ways of course. Just look at Lance in the marathon. At the end of the day its a different game that requires a lot of muscle power, something I have little of, but need a lot of. Back in the saddle for a similar ride tomorrow.

Never underestimate the power of the iPod. At times I don't know how I crashed today because I was so caught up in the songs I was listening to, especially the new Bat For Lashes album. It is sublime, very beautiful, and very touching. I was carried up the hills by Natasha Kahns vocals and I cannot wait to see her perform in Boston at the end of the month. Go out and buy the album, its beyond worth it. If Kate Bush was kicking her career off right now I imagine this is what she would sound like. 

I know I posted it before but the album is out on Monday so I am limited! Here is "Daniel", my favorite song on the album.

Peace and Love 

Kel

Two Suns

PM: 75 Minutes Trainer Ride.

Steady pace on the trainer, keeping the HR at Fat Burning levels of around 135-145. It was a lovely ride followed by a trip to Garden Grille with Frankie and Albert. It was a lovely evening although I did get the knock after my ride. Considering the fact that I was starving before I got on the bike this is to be expected. So again, on schedule, and replicating running work as best I can. It is obviously not as enjoyable for me but aside from alter-g its the next best thing. Alter-G is still a month away.

I "stole" some albums from Alberts computer and put them on my iPod. If any of them are really good I will buy them straight away. I am trying to find new artists so I was recommended a few and I will give them a listen on my ride tomorrow. I equate this process with borrowing a friends CD. I never feel bad if someone loans me a cd and I listen to it or burn it to my iTunes but there is something about taking music from the world of torrents that does not sit well with me, even though I do it. More often though I take music from friends hard drives or I take bootlegs which is fine. These live shows never see the light of day and I wish more bands encouraged it. 

Anyway, I will report on the new tunes when I wrap my head around it over the course of a 2-3 hour ride tomorrow. I hope everyone is having good training and motivation with the spring in full bloom. Time to get after it.

Love Kel

Call Me Morbid, Call Me Pale

PM: Trainer Workout. 20 Min wu, 2 sets 5 x 1 min on/off, 3 min of 15 sec on/off, 20 Min CD

Lovely afternoon for a ride outside but alas I was late getting home from work and my window of opportunity was lost so I pulled out the trainer and set up the bike. This was a little variation on what Johnny had me down for. A leopard never changes its spots, and I will always add on a little if I feel good. Today I felt good. Rode hard and has some good visualization of what it is I need to do over these next few months. 

Got some new music tips that I need to follow up on. I'll be doing that this weekend. What I did listen to today was "There Is  A Light That Never Goes Out". It is no secret or revelation that this is perhaps my favorite song of all time. A couple of Radiohead numbers could fight for the top spot but without doubt it is in my top 3.  Although the song is over 20 years old I really only found it in 1998 when Ben Noad introduced me to it. Anyway, the point is I listened to it today during my workout. I always include it on my playlist because it means much more to me then just a song. I live everyday believing that there is indeed a Light That Never Goes Out. My friend Vinny told me that there was a good recording of Noel Gallagher covering the song. I heard it before but never a good recording so I decided to listen again. I also listened to Ben Gibbards cover. Here is my stance. Some songs will never sound as good as the original and this is one of those obvious ones. The reason being because there is only one Morrissey and Marr and Rourke and Joyce. No one will ever sing this song like Moz. But these two versions are very listenable. Ben Gibbard tends to bore me a little but he gives a valiant effort here despite getting the words a little assways, and Noel really pisses me off but his version is class. He loves Moz and the respect he has for this piece of magic is admirable. 

Have a listen! 

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths (Noel Gallagher Cover)

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths (Death Cab Cover)

And of Course the original and the very best below.

Peace and Much Love

Kel

People Are People

AM: 62 Minutes Trainer Ride. 

Rode steady all the way. I was slammed at worked over the last two days. Crazy ass meetings all day. Basically I have only a small window to train so rather then get out for long rides I am making do with shorter hard rides. Tomorrow is intervals and then I think I may have three days outside......awesome.

With the current state of my schedule I have been out of touch with my usual music and life blogs. As a result I have little to report from that front so its all about sports right now. Ireland look like they have destiny in their hands regarding world cup qualifying. Lovely stuff. I am joining USA Cycling tonight and I am going to start racing this spring. I will be in Cat. 5 with a group that will have better bike handling skills than I but significantly less fitness. It is interesting being a decent runner and participating in a sport that I am shite at. However with the advice of my team Dan Davenport, an my advisors Johnny Mac and Lee Cox I should get through the teething process. Once I am healed though, the bike gets out away and Euro XC is back to the forefront of all thoughts and feelings.

Love it,

Kelrock