}oD

went in for some casual climbling with some mates from school. Thought to take 'er easy after monday's evisceration. Warmed up on a couple of the v4s i'd done mon. (Confirmed my suspicion that one of 'em was definitely not a 4). Then i got a "v6" on about the fourth try. don't think it was really a 6, but that's what the tape said. Then i got that 3 i was too tired to get on monday, re-did another 4 i'd done, then i went into the cave and polished off that v5 that vexed me on mon. Sweet climb. Then i repeated another 4 from mon. Bizarre session, 'cuz i never felt like i was working that hard. So there's the answer to yer question: i'm guessing the weight loss/workouts are doing something happy for me. That, or the steak and eggs for breakfast. weighed in at around 195 after breakfast. Been eating like doo-doo the last week or two, but i can't help but wonder what i'd climb like if i could shave another 10lbs.

On that note, i started wistfully perusing the [Triathlete] Essential Week-By-Week Training Guide. got a serious plan in the crosshairs if i can keep the ol' marriage sewn together through it.

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Sat.

Ye olde Guide prescribed an hour-and-a-half ride at "moderate aerobic intensity." (Actually, it called for a swim, but it's 70-something degrees out there in Nov. so i flipped workouts.) Moderate aerobic intensity, it goes on to explain, would be around a 7 of 10 on the RPE scale, or "comfortable, but not easy". i did an hour-and-a-half, but it was neither easy nor comfortable. i hammered with a big grin the whole time. Coming back down the last hill to home i was riding into the wind and i checked my lane to move over. This guy on a Harley was on my wheel, and he pulls up beside me and says, "37 miles per hour". Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Gave me hope that even if i'm not presently particularly fit, i could perhaps get that way in the foreseeable future.

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Sun.

Did back and abs in the irongym. Real hard to find the motivation for that one. It was an ok workout, but i was tired. Same kind of ennui sets in every time i've tried to mix several sports at the same time: i start seeing the workout slope leveling off--my weights start to come down 'cuz i'm so tired from another workout, for example--and i get frustrated and let something (usually the iron workouts) fall to the wayside. But the reality is that i'm climbing as well as i am at least partially because of the iron workouts. Trick is to quit caring about the numbers and see it for what it is. The trend is upward even if a workout or two is flat or just plain bad. Today my back was already not-so-fresh, and a tendon's bugging me in my hand and i had trouble holding on to the bar. But it was a workout; and mayhaps i'll be a huger, stronger, (and most importantly) more intimidating climber this next session because of it.

And i've heard it from a reasonably reliable source that you(G)'re on the road again tomorrow. And how's the baby cooking, B? i'm be praying for you people.