Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Life On A Bike, Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

More fun on the bike tonight. Well, I did 22.8 miles and it really flew by. I was reading my nook, when I looked at the clock and only had 15 minutes left. I hope it's just caused by my reading, not just because of the book i'm reading.

Today was more light hills, up to 10 resistance. My legs feel pretty good so far this offseason. Unfortunatly the gut isn't going down, and neither is my weight. Oh well sooner or later that has to go down to, right?

month 338.1 year 3478.1 hours 327:24

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Life On A Bike, Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Reading a book while riding the stationary is awesome. Time actually seems to fly by, before I know it I am more than half way through my ride.

Well, today I went 22.8 miles, of light hills. It felt good to ride, my legs feel pretty good. I wasn't able to ride yesterday because I really needed the sleep, I slept way to long though.

Book- Bullpen Gospel
Music-Disturbed

month 315.3 year 3455.3 hours 325:23

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Life On A Bike, December 26th, 2010

Another day, another training session on the stationary bike. How joyfull?, Well I rode 22.9 miles tonight. Felt really good, really only pushed it a little, but more than yesterday.

Book Starter-Baseball Gospel, Dirk Hayhurst
Music-Slayer

month 292.5 year 3432.5 time 323:23

Life On A Bike, 2011 Goals

It's that time of the year again, time to set my goals for the new year on the bike. Well, this coming year as it looks right now I should be able to ride a lot. Due to not working that much, and not covering every baseball game.

1. Ride to work as much as possible. I think I only rode 3-4 times all year in 2010

2. Make at least one, 100 mile ride. I did one in 2010

3. Ride 5,000 miles, I should make at least 3,500 in 2010

4. Ride at least 500 hours, I should make 330 in 2010.

To be able to ride 5,000 miles, I calculated it out to be 96.2 miles a week. I should be able to due that, at least I hope.

5. Stay healthy, big time goal, I had a concussion, and some pulled muscles this year that kept me off the bike a lot.

6. Ride with friends more, it get really boring on these long rides by myself. I need someone to mess with.

7. Improve my miles per hour. This year I averaged around 11 mph, that is a half miles up from 2009. Still not fast enough

8. Save up enough money to by a good road bike and equitment. It will take a few years to save up enough money but I should be able to buy one before I retire, I hope.

I ride a Trek 7000 hybrid. It is able to ride both road and trail, but it also will be three years old this year, and riding 100 miles on it is quiet uncomfortable as it isn't built for that much abuse.

9. Ride in my normal three or four bike events

Swedish Days in June, Biking With Beanzie in July, Ride Like an Egyptian and Northwest Century in September. Plus maybe add one more if I have the money.

10. Make my trip in mid May all the way up to Beloit, Wisconsin. It is almost 100 miles up there. Stay there two days and watch baseball, of course. Ride the bike around there a little. Then ride the 100 miles back home.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Life On A Bike, Saturday, December 25th, 2010

Merry Christmas to you all

Well, eventhough it was a holiday, I still went to the gym and rode. I got a new Barnes and Noble, Nook for Christmas, so I brought it with me. It was awesome, except for the fact that I really should remember to bring my glasses with me if I want to read while riding. Unfortunatly I didn't ride as fast as I normally do, but the time seemed to go by a lot faster so that is always good. I read, Pitching in a pinch, by Christy Mathewson, or at least the first half of it.

Ok now the ride, well I did light hills today. Only because I wasn't able to ride yesterday because the ride the day before still hurt. I mustve pulled something in my back during that ride or something. Plus my knees were still buzzing. The ride tonight went by like it was only a half hour. When infact I rode the usual 65 minutes, I only did 20.9 miles. The thing is my goal is to do over 20 miles a day, so I still made my goal.

Plus I did 20 sit ups, and some light weights on the arms, and the heavier weights on the legs.

month 269.6 year 3409.6 hours 321:23
behind last year -758.5

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Life On A Bike, Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

Today, I went all out on the stationary for as long as I could. The worst part is im paying for it right now but oh well. I had the setting for small hills, up to ten resistance. Well for the first 55 minutes i went all out. After that the knees were just painfull.

I survived the last five minutes of the normal ride, then the cool down all at about half speed. I went 23.9 miles today. Had a mix of old school songs going tonight. Some 80's Slayer, and Metallica to keep me going.

Plus I did my customary ten sit ups, would've done more but the knees were giving me too much of a problem.

Been pretty good today. Had a pb&j sandwich, four chocolate chip cookies. Plus a bowl of ravioli and spegetti for dinner. Been drinking I think three bottles of water throughout the day. Unfortunatly also had a root beer and a sierra mist, I need to cut those out. Plus My power bar and a little bottle of gatorade before the ride. After the ride had a big bottle of gatorade and a bottle of water. During the ride I had my two bottles of water, just like if I was on my bike.

month 248.7 year 3388.7 hours 319:23
behind last year -719.4

Life On A Bike, Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010

I haven't rode in a few days because I pulled something in my side somehow. Feel pretty good today after my ride. Well I rode 22.5 miles on the stationary bike, the usual 65 minutes of hell. The only thing is that since I haven't rode in awhile I took it easy and just did all flat land.

After doing 65 minutes of hell, for some reason I felt good enough to go and do some more working out. Granted I really need to lose weight this off season. Something like 30 pounds would probably be healthy. Well I took a step forward to that tonight, as i went and did 10 sit ups. Then did some arm and chest stuff with the free weights. I am still learning how to lift weight, and what stuff I should be doing to help where.

I still felt pretty good, so I went and did 15 minutes on the treadmill. I will most likely feel that in the morning, as the last time I ran my legs hurt for a couple of days. During my run I did mostly a fast walk, with every so often running at about four and a half miles and hour run. Plus four miles an hour on the fast walk.

I must be stupid or something, because after that I went and did 15 minutes on the stair machine. It was the first time in years I have been on that machine and I felt it. I normally hate stairs anyways, and don't do to well on them.


month 224.8, year 3364.8, hours 317:21
behind last year, -713.3

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Life On A Bike, Friday, December 17th, 2010

Today, my legs were tired as hell, and my knees hurt really badly. So I took it way easy, but completed the 65 minutes on the bike. I did 20.5 miles, at one resistance.

The body hurting has a lot to do with being up since five this morning on three hours sleep.

month 202.2 year 3342.3 hours 315:21
behind last year -644.8

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Life On A Bike, Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Well, it's another day, another trip to the gym to get my miles in. Today I went 23.9 miles, in a two part workout.

The first part I went to the gym, and as i was peddleing the first mile, my father calls. The dog we are watching for a few days need to go out, can I come home and take him out. So I went home and took him out, then went back to the gym. After that back at the gym I did lite hills all throughout the workout tonight. I was 0.6 up on the first half hour, so that's not that bad.

The second half hour I was feeling pretty good until about the 53 minute mark when I could start to feel my legs getting tired. I made it through the whole workout, and the cool down 5 minutes with 23.9 miles for the day.

day 23.9, month, 181.7, year 3321.8 hour 313:21
behind last year -665.3

Life On A Bike, Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Rode the stationary bike today for the 65 minutes of hell. Today i started it out with some lite hills for the first half hour. After that I took it all the way down to completely flat for five minutes. By this time I was 0.6 ahead of pace. For some strange reason I hit random and did five minutes of huge hills, all the way up to 18.

After that I went for another five minutes of flat. Then it was 15 minutes of lite hills before my five minute cool down. All together I did 22.5 miles.

I feel ok, but by the 15 to go mark I was starting to feel it a little bit in the upper legs. Tomorrow, I will probably do just lite hills to recoup after the big ones.

All I visited, Bicycle Ect. today, and had time to kill. I had to get my cellphone fixed. Well I bought some bar end lights, that I have no clue how to put on the bike. I also bought a map and instruction holder that straps onto the stem. The only problem is that I now have to figure out how to remove the bell on the left side of my handle bars and move the speedometer bracket over there.

157.8 for the month, 3297.9 for the year, 311:16 hours
-689.2 from last year

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Life On A Bike, Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

I finally got back to training today after taking a few days off. Basically i was too lazy to get my ass up and go to the gym. So instead I ate and watched tv. That is what got me in the shape I am in, in the first place.

I went and did 22.3 miles on the stationary tonight. It felt good, but it also felt like I hadn't ridin in awhile, as I didn't have as much power. So I did a half hour of completely flat. Then a half hour of some hills, only up to ten resistance though. Had both bottles of water, legs feel a little tired right now.

I also did my ten sit ups, I was going to do weights also tonight but just didn't feel up to it because of the legs. Hopefully tomorrow will get a weight workout in. Still need to figure out how to incorporate that into my overall training for next year.

Any suggestions on how to do the weights, plus really am struggling on the motavation to ride inside. That is part of why I didn't ride for awhile.

month, 135..3, year, 3275.4, hours, 309:16
-711.7 from last year

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Decision time on who to cover

Well, i'm torn between my heart and my head in deciding if it is time to give up covering the Kane County Cougars. My heart is bleeding Cougar green, but i'm not really having that much fun any more covering the team that i've covered for the past 13 years.

I started to cover them the first year that I had season tickets back in 1998. I covered them because there was no coverage of the team. I couldn't find any articles in the local newspapers, or online. So I decided to put together a website and put together game stories. It was fun for the first eleven or so years. Yes, I know it got me a book deal to write about the team in 2005. That book really yes it was nice and all, but it really fizzled with sales and stuff.

Yes covering the Cougars has gotten me to write for scout.com for the past three years. I have had the privilige to work with a lot of great people. Melissa Lockard, Mike Knapp, Kevin Druley and Paul Johnson, plus Shawn Touney and Jeff Hem with the Cougars.

The thing is last off season I was conflicted, covering the Cougars really wasn't that much fun any more. I wasn't having much fun going to the ballpark every day. It got to be more like work than what it originally was. Granted I still love baseball. Maybe I just need to take a year off and do whatever I want.

Well, last off season I was thinking about it and yes i am a big White Sox fan. Yes I would love to cover the team, especially the entire minor league system, and the majors. I went through last year, and had a good year, but it's like something in the back of my mind is telling me something else. I had a blast covering the team, and interviewing the players.

This off season well the website isn't really that updated. I just don't have the want to do that right now. I am also still working on the boxscores from June, along with the player stats. I just don't feel like doing the Cougars stuff that much.

Well, im thinking of doing a website about the White Sox and their minor leagues. I am a big Sox fan. I just don't know where to go with all of this, and am looking for advice from my friends.

The White Sox site would be very similar to the Cougars one, except with the entire system being followed. This year with the Cougars, I would be going to about 10-15 games, instead of 65-70, im not renewing my season tickets. I would have to listen to the games online.

Sorry for the question folks, its just Ive always been up front with you readers and told you what was on my mind

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Life On A Bike, Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Today was the first day of the off season workouts that I actually felt horrible. I had nothing in my legs or body for that matter. It could've been the fact that i've been up for most of the past two days on about an hour of sleep. Or the late hour of my going to the gym. I think it was lack of sleep, as I almost fell asleep on the bike.

Well, I survived 21.5 miles still, somehow. I had the resistance all the way down to one and just peddled. I don't even know how I made it through 65 minutes. I did though. Hopefully tomorrow, after some sleep I will be able to do hills again.

21.5 for the day, 113 for the month, 3253.1 for the year, 307:16 hours for the year
-654 from last year

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Life On A Bike, Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

Turning the pedals some more, unfortunatly indoors still, probably for another three months till the temp stays above freezing, and I don't have to deal or worry about ice.

Tonight it was some hills, really wasn't to bad, as it went only up to 10 tonight, over and over again. Well I managed 24.4 miles, the knees hurt towards the end. All is good though. I also managed to do a full workout, ten reps on each machine, and 20 sit ups.

Tomorrow hopefully I will do more hills, at least I hope as I have an early morning of work so we will see.

Music, Down:Nola

month 91.5, year 3231.6 hours 305:16
last year, -655.5

Monday, December 6, 2010

Life On A Bike, Monday, December 6th, 2010

Today, I did 24.3 miles of work on the stationary bike. Well it wasn't that bad because I did speed intervals, with the resistance never going above 4. Around the 42 minute mark my right knee did start to hurt a little bit. Plus around the 54 minute mark and all throughout the cool down my upper legs started to hurt.

I really went for it today, for no reason at all, just to see myself go fast at 1 resistance and try to keep it up at four. Tomorrow I need to work on some hills on the machine so i'm not really looking forward to that.

24.3 miles for the day, 67.1 miles for the month, 3207.2 for the year, 303:14 hours

-659.9 from last year

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday, December 5th, 2010, Bike

Well, another day another workout on the stationary bike at the gym. Today it was a high in the 20's and it was 10 degrees outside when i walked back from the gym, so there was no way I was going to go out on my bike today. That being said it has unfortunatly been three days since I went for a training session, and I can feel it.

My legs did not feel that good throughout my workout tonight. I could feel the layoff imediatly. I did intervals tonight, instead of random. The intervals were set easy, so that helped things out a bit. I went 22.5 miles in 65 minutes of hell.

This is after eating a half a deep dish pizza and having a beer for diner. So I really did need to workout, eventhough the last two days my diet hasn't been good. A whole pizza on Friday, and a half slab of ribs last night. Oh well back on the diet starting today. Back to drinking lots of water and working out every day, hopefully.

42.8 miles for the month, 3182.9 for the year, 301 hours and 12 minutes on the bike
-684.2 from last year

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Notice

I will be posting about my bike riding and training more here, as I decided to take my other blog down, Life on A Bike, it got to much to have two blogs

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Well, another fun Saturday, I woke up early for no reason at all since there is snow on the ground and that means that I can't go and ride my bike. Hopefully I will get around to working on the website a little today, before I go and do my stationary bike workout.

Still thinking of changing the subject of my website from the Kane County Cougars to the Chicago White Sox minor leagues. Haven't done so yet, but really giving it a thought. I would like to do it but just don't know if I could keep up with all the work that I want to put into it. Granted I haven't exactly kept up over the years on the work I want to put into the Cougars either. It's just the way the Cougars are, I just don't know if I want to write about them anymore.