Panera Bagels: Donuts in Disguise

As you know, weekends are great to build great endurance before the start of the season.
Wether you ride indoor or outside, it is great that people make the commitment to riding in the winter.
Team Kaos members have been coming over the last month to get in their endurance rides...
Every Saturday and Sunday for the last month to be exact.

And every weekend, someone brings over bagels.
I love bagels.
Furthermore, I appreciate when my cyclist friends bring a baker's dozen over on the weekend.

While looking on the internet, I came across some disturbing information.
The nutrition in a cinnamon crunch bagel. Or lack there of....

Cinnamon Crunch Bagel
410kcal
"reduced fat" cream cheese - 150 kacl

Krispy Kreme original glazed
200 kcal

When I started endurance running(IE marathon) I would eat two of these minimum following my 20 mile run...
Woops...

Weekend Warriors

This weekend was a blur. Landen had Thur/Fri off, Ian came into town, and I am officially on holiday. Saturday, Dave Rogers, Landen, and Lindsey came over for a training ride. The great thing about indoor training rides is that everyone can do their own thing to get better, and there is never that half wheel BS that always happens outdoors. I had four hours to do, Landen had some LT work, and dave is on the poached training plan from landen (he also did LT work).

Note: It is alway rather enjoyable to watch people's facial expressions during workouts. Try this sometime when you are on an indoor endurance ride and someone is doing prescribed effort. I knew landen was suffering because of the wattage he was running for his efforts, but he looked controlled, calm, and on top of the workout. Dave on the other hand, did not have a power tap, did not look calm, and probably ended up doing VO2max intervals based on various observations (his hyperventilating).

Saturday:
Following the ride and a brief nap, we went to sushi happy hour at BLUE. Every time Ian comes to town, we go to BLUE. Lets get one thing straight, I like BLUE. I more so enjoy their sashimi offering, but I still like BLUE. I guess I just go to see friends and not really for the food... every time Ian comes to town. Following blue we went to Bianco (italian resturant) for their happy hour. I know what your are thinking, why not just go to one resturant, get a filling meal, and be done with it? I have know idea. I am never the sheriff of these plans. Maybe next time I will suggest it. It was good, however, to see Jacquline, Marco, Marco(jr), Leila, and Spence.

Sunday:
Awoke and began the day by making coffee, eggs, and french toast for everyone. Oh, everyone being: Ian, Marco, Landen, Lindsey, Marie Anna, Dave, me. If my math serve me right we probably accumulated 25+ hours of training. With all the great cyclist we had over, we actually had a some world championship stripes in our presence. Marie Anna is 2X age group Ironman world Champion(this year will be three if she sticks to coming over on the weekends).
Following my 4:30 ride, I tried to nap for the same amount of time. I did not. I only got 2:30 nap in. Finished the night with I am Legend at the theater(great flick).

Thus, concludes my weekend. For whom it may concern, I am going to travel to the Orphanage today. I will be making Pav Thai. As far as I am concern you are all invited(I hope). As a great friend once said, "The vacancy sign is alway on" at my place for training.

Will the real Dave Zabriskie Please stand up

Dave Zabrsikie. Fast, fast. Can TT like the wind. Three time TT national champion. Job security? Or is he not certain with his cycling career?
To preface the aforementioned statements, I must begin with the following story:

On Monday, I got a training ride in and happened to catch the Iowa v. Iowa State wresting meet (I had recorded on tevo the day previous). The meet was great, and it came down to the HWT bout. My mind was wandering during this portion of the ride(I was cooling down from a Tempo ride) when I noticed something... That Dave Zabriskie, the professional cyclist had given up his bike, his climbers physique, and his mind, and decided to use his 4 year of NCAA eligibility and wrestle for Iowa State.

this issue required immediate investigation. Within hours, I got ahold of Iowa State wresting coach Cale Sanderson. the phone conversation went as follows.

Pav: Cale, how did ever manage to get Dave to give up cycling...things looked great for him with his new team Slipstream

Cale: Yeah, that is what I thought as well. I knew Dave growing up in Utah. He was from SLC, and I am from Ogden. We ran into each other again in the summer of 2005 in Moab, Utah. Following my Olympic buildup, I needed some vacation time, and some single track. I decided to pack up the family and head to Slickrock.

Pav: So, that still doesn't explain how you got him on your wrestling team.

Cale: Right, right. I sometime talk to much about nestalgia. Anyway, we both ended up biking the same trail, he passed my group, doubled back to say high, and we got to talking, remnising, and beer drinking(not me of course, just Dave). He said that he used to be a great freestyle wrestling, he even qualified for cadet nationals at HWT. Then he got into biking. It seams that once he got on the bike all the muscle mass just melted off like butter in a hot day. I told him that if he was ever interested, he should come to Iowa(where I was coaching) ride Ragbrai, and stop in to do some wrestling. He came this fall following the world championships. He came and wrestled, unfortunately, we only had a HWT spot available. Dave said that he would try to "bulk up" for the position. He did. He got a partial scholarship, and is currently majoring in fluid dynamics.

Pav: Won't this sports move effect his cycling career, in the long run?

Cale: That was my initial concern. However, he is still riding daily, he just rides his rig before and after each of the days session. He is actually getting in like 4 hour a day, plus mat time. He said following NCAA's he would cut down and ride the giro at 148 lbs, again. Actually, 250lbs is his natural body weight.

Pav: Sound like some crazy shit.

Holiday

Today officially begins my Xmas holiday. Celebrate.
First off, I got 10.5 hours of sleep last night.
Sorry if this alarms you all. It just sort of happened.
I am rather excited for the training ride this weekend, we
have five attendees thus far.

In other news, has anyone seen chris spence?

Pav Thai

Post Script.
Rev. Dr. Kim West, As I am done with college on Friday, I will be in Des Moines Monday/Tuesday-ish.
I will be bringing food and making that thai peanut noodle thing that I make.
If you have any hungry orphans, please invite them. Just not that guy that crashes everyone out, everywhere. I need to focus on the cooking thing an can't make Pav Thai if I am crashed out of the kitchen.

Pav

Harry Potter ride

Following yesterday's clinic session, I grabbed some fourth meal, rented the order of the phoenix, and had myself a good little 3 hour indoor ride. When I returned home, I saw some man clad in sweat pants head to toe; I knew this must be Spence. I offered him a spot on the "Order of the Phoenix" training ride, he declined. Apparently, he is not the Harry Potter fan most of you all are.

Thoughts on the video... I sympathized with the students of Hoggwarts. We have the same type of education tyranny afoot at CUMC, minus the whole magic thing*








*Although I have never seen any form of spell, incantation, or potion at school, I do not discount its happening under my nose. Why just the other day, a instructor advised me to summon a razor and shave my half-beard. I did not know the spell he asked for; alas, I still have my facial hair.

Christmas, or whatever card

Dear Readers,

While gathering mail today, I happened upon a letter from my parents. I soon found out that the contents of said letter was not in fact money like I hoped. In it’s stead, was the obligatory Christmas letter sent to friends, family, and whomever my parents have not shaken along the way. With letter held firm in one hand and pint glass of margarita in the other, I scanned the letter to find festive trim, family photo, and fascinating paragraph that attempted to sum up my entire year. At that point, I decided to become momentarily motivated to write a Christmas letter describing, in detail, the grandeur that is my life, or all that my parents had forgotten to scribe. And that folks, is what you are getting, a
Christmas letter. Or all that I can manage to write until the synergy of an afternoon’s coffee and red bull has worn off.

As it has consumed my life, dental school is the most logical place to start this letter. Creighton University School of Dentistry to be precise. Yes. As most of you know, this is my last year…hopefully. With the necktie wielding, crew cut wearing ex-military fascist juggernaut (operative dentistry department) micromanaging my every move; I will be very lucky to get out of this hellhole. Don’t be alarmed. I think the military is great. And the dentistry they provide for their troops is top notch… For the 18th century. I very much hope that none or know or are members of the faculty at Creighton.

As my parents expanded on, I was in Oregon. I am on the job hunt. I am 0/15. That is a good percentage…right? There is just something about not having to pump your own gas that has got me hooked on that state. Let me know if any of your dentists are going blind, loosing dexterity, or are dead/dying/committing suicide. Thanks for helping me in the job hunt.

Relationships and dating have been great. Oh, wait that must have been someone else. Always promising leads, stating out like and indie romance and inevitably, end ding like a slasher film. No matter. With my track record, it is probably better to be alone then to be next week’s topic on CSI “Wherever”.

Biking has been going great. I took some down time at the end of the season (starting in April and ending in August) to recuperate. I have since been getting in very quality training since October. With the frigid Nebraska winters, we are forced to ride inside. For three weeks, I have been hosting indoor training rides at my house. This has been a great time. When you let people use your house to bike, they repay you in a weeks worth of bagels. I haven’t bought breakfast food in weeks!

For those of you that are cyclist, I logged 150+ hours since October (to December 7). For those of you that know nothing about cycling, I have been riding ‘lots.
My goals races for the season are Lincoln Plating Stage race, Mount Hood Cycling classic, and Pursuit Track Nationals.

This concludes my Christmas, or Chanukah, or holiday, or glad-having letter. Whichever you prefer. I look to hear from all of you, and if I don’t I will assume that you have since given up on technology and have moved into a cabin north of Bend, Oregon…my future home.

Ciao,

Pav

Post script. If you know of any of my acquaintance that would like the update, like a laugh, or like their money, please direct them to my letter.

Here it is

This is what I wanted you all to see. Unfortunately, I am stupid with computers and can not upload a video
enjoy.

Not much is happening in my world, just bike, eat, nap, eat, sleep, teeth. You know the drill. This morning, I hosted the second weekend of indoor training at the fast factory. Marco, Landen, and Mr. Rogers showed up. I am trying to get the numbers up for the ride, but lindsey was sick, haven't heard from Mary Ann, and Spence dropped of the planet. Hosting trainer rides is a win-win-win situation. You don't have to heat your house (temperature goes up 10 degrees in 4 hours), Someone always brings over bagels and cream cheese. And the leftovers are my breakfast the rest of the week.

On another note, lets talk riding. I have had a lot of people asking me how my riding has been going. Their interest runs the gambit of from happiness to concern. They either don't think I should be riding this much, or are uncomfortable that they are not (riding enough). It is interesting that when someone is riding a lot/doing their damnedest to get better, that person stands out. People don't like it that you are riding 20 hour weeks. It makes them uncomfortable. Here are some answers to your questions
1 Yes, I am riding a lot.
2. Yes, I am Ok with that.
3. No, I am not training to peak for a race in Feburary
4. No, I am not going to get hurt, overtrain, or burn out.

To go into a little more detail about the fourth answer, one must understand, that I am not riding hard. I am getting very quality rides in at zone 1 and zone 2 (and one a week in zone 3 right now). This is what we in the business call developing fitness. If one checks the annuls of the sport, one would find that this has been a common practice for many years. You don't have to get fat, stop riding, or cross train in the winter. You can instead, get fast. I just finished up my last three classes (every) and now I have the time to do the following: ride, nap, ride, sleep.

One final note, thanks to all of you that were concerned with my safety this week. I appreciate your calls. Luckily, I was filling cavities and note at the mall.

Fixed gear antics

F

Training does work!

Well, the numbers are in folks, and they do not lie. Today, was the second to last day in my recovery week, and I did a fitness test, or TTE (time trial to exhaustion). If you have no interest in my ride, philosophy on riding then please stop reading, I would not want to bore you.

The reason for a TTE is simple. If one can TT for 30 minutes at 360 watts (with a good aero setup), you can dominate in time trial. Not dominate pro's or anything, but at least most elite athletes. I cannot do 360 for 30 minutes, therefore, I don't dominate anyone.

My philosophy on riding is that when no one is getting better (right now in the cold, ice, and snow) I ride a lot. not 40 hour a week or anything, but a lot. And I know what you are all thinking, you are a cat 3 why are you riding so much? Well, you my answers is you can't be mediocre all the time. You have to get good at some point. And I can't stand embarrassing Dr's (Kim West and KPav). The last five week build up was as follows:
Wk1 14hr
Wk2 16hr
Wk3 18hr
Wk4 20.5hr
Wk5 10.5hr

I have been thoroughly motivated, and have had a very good last 9 weeks of training. Not going out much, but getting quality training and sleep none the less. Here are my results from a fitness test from last year and this year. Please note the dates, average power, time and weight

Date 12/1/07 2/4/07
Average power 358W 349W
Time 11:01 min 7:59
Average Hr 173 bpm 172bpm
Weight 158lbs 161lbs

Improvement, ah yes. Even though this does not look like much, I assure you it is significant. Three pounds less, nine watts more, three minutes longer to exhausting. The interesting thing to note, is that I have not done any intensity, none. My rides have only consisted of Zone 1, Zone 2 and Stealth mile (shush...). In February of last season, I was doing Zone 4 and Zone 6 efforts. Not bad for just riding to ride.