Go time…again!

Black Mountain Marathon

 

January 1st I got off my butt laid out 3 months of training and got started. my plan was to go very slow put down a solid base and hit good consistent numbers.  Nothing outrageous just trying to stay around 12-15 hours a week (run 35 miles , Bike 200, swim 1500m avg). I started off on track all be it way over weight but motivated.

I was very burned out by mid season last year and took some much needed time off. I had been on the gas for several years and was starting to loose the fun in my training. The time off worked to get my motivation back but it also laid on 30 lbs.  My fault to let my weight get out of hand but honestly I just did not care.

As of Jan 1, I was tired of the gluttony and ready to be an athlete again.  After a 2 months of descent work I was feeling fit but slow.  IN late February Myself and a few others rolled up to Mount Mitchell for an off road marathon. I was not looking forward to this run I was feeling very slow and still too heavy but no better way to lean out than training long.  We started the day at an easy pace and maintained it for 13 miles to the Parkway. We sucked down a load of Coke and started the trek down…oddly enough I felt fantastic and kept the pace rolling to the 19 mile mark where after running out of the technical part, the trail flattens out so I promptly fell and broke my collar bone!  I was able to finish the run but this injury has set me back.  My run and swim are behind. I have time to pull it together but there is no time to waist.  As of today it’s “Go Time …again!”

8 week Goals

Run 35 avg

Bike 250 avg (335 LT watts)

Swim 12000m avg

Weight 165 May 1

My current watts are very good, my weight is down but still 15 lbs away from race weight. Swim volume is low but times are good. My biggest limiters are my weight and run…the 2 go together.

Real Ironman training time

Look balanced...easy...? Hard work pays off!

The current catch phrase in triathlon, ironman training in-particular is “balance.” Let me ask you a question. What part of 140.6 miles in a single day lends it self to balance?

A  professional Marathoner will run an average of 100 miles a week, does that sound like balance? I think most people would consider that extreme. If you break down the numbers a pro can average 10 miles an hour so, they are putting in 10 hours per week.  I’ve been seeing triathlon training programs advertised as “balanced” by only training 12 hours per week and finish an Iroman.  Why is one extreme and the other balanced? Where am I going with all of this? Well it’s simple, Balance is perception not reality and your goals and results should be based off of real information.  The purpose of this blog is to give you this information.

1) Don’t set your goals until you have accurately weighed the cost.

2) Consult the important people in your life (spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend etc.) prior to setting goals.

3) Be honest when assessing your abilities.

Finish goal.  This is the easiest to train for and in most cases the most appropriate for the first timer.  With this goal, time and speed has diminished importance. Relative comfort is the primary goal and training can be based around your current life style and how much time you have a available to train. having said that, in my opinion to be relative comfortable during an Ironman you will need to put in at least 12 per during your big weeks and 15-17 would be better.  You can finish on either program but the time on the course can be considerably affected with a few additional hour per week.

Time goal. This is best approached after a racing resume has been established. In order to accurately set time goals there will need to be  an accumulation of data collected. Just how fast can you run, bike and swim?  Preferably these bench marks will set as stand alone events and need to be retested fairly often. The amount of training time can vary wildly dependent on the particular goal time 17-20 hours during big weeks would be typical but week to week can vary and workouts will need to be more specific.  Consistency  becomes very important.

Kona qualifier. Here is the only goal that your athletic ability plays a big roll.  It imperative that you know just how fast you are compared to the top people in your age group. There are ways to accurately calculate just how fast you can expect to go assuming everything goes according to plan. If it doesn’t then you  will need to be tough, and have the ability to improvise a new plan on the fly. You will also need  a measure of luck.  Training time can depend on your God given talent but enough base milage at all 3 sports is a must and I figure on 20-25 hours per during big week.  Pros are putting in 25-35 hours per not including recovery, massage, stretching etc. Consistency is a must, there are no short cuts.  You don’t have the talent, time or discipline, You will be constantly disappointed.  Even with the best training and talent it can still take time to reach this goal.

I put some real numbers out there because I believe it’s important to know what it takes to reach your goals.  Be honest with your self and your coach.  Listen very little to outside voices.  They will tell you anything.  If your thin, they’ll tell you gain weight, if you train hard they’ll tell you to rest.  Not sure why this happens, I guess it’s just human nature.  Here is the truth.  You signed up for a very long and demanding triathlon.  Expect the preparation to demanding as well.

To recap, be honest, train consistan, put in the appropriate milage, and log your training. Logging is the only accurate way to honestly track what you actually did.

Good luck It’s a new year and new opportunity!

Kona Focus

Kona Ironman Logo 2009

Let me preface this by saying. I hate racing in Hawaii! It’s a self-imposed beat-down! Ok, now that that’s out of the way…I am focusing solely on qualifying for Kona in 2011. I have already signed up for Ironman CDA and believe that Coeur d’Alene’s course gives me the best shot. It’s a challenging bike course with a relatively flat run course. The weather is historically mild, all of which play to my strengths and limit my weaknesses.

So how do I prepare?

First I’ve assessed my current fitness. I have a huge base built this year. That should carry me through until December. I will try to keep it topped off but won’t need to rebase until early spring.

Second, my swim has improved but I still have work to do. I was 2 minutes faster this year but need to take an additional 3 minutes off of that time. Goal for 2011 is 1:06:00.

Third, my bike was sub par last year and I have spent a great deal of time on it already this season. I believe that it is currently at an all time high. My watts are very good so my current focus is to maintain what I have.

Fourth, I have got to focus on my run. I have based my run well but have been lazy about really get down to work on it. I have got to maintain two months of 45-55 miles per week of running with lots of Steady state work. Steady State gives me the biggest bang for my buck.

Lastly but I believe most importantly, I need my weight to be in the low 160′s through the winter. My plan is to lean out to 5% body fat by B2B. I will then try to maintain 7-8% through the winter. This should give the opportunity to do some quality running and biking leading into next season.

This plan gives me 11 months to get ready and I believe that it will take all of it. Goals for IM CDA 2011 are

Swim 1:06:

T1 4 min

Bike 5:10: @ 235 watts avg

T2 1:20

Run 3:38:

Total 9:59:20 Kona with no roll down!

Confidence out of defeat (Ironman Coeur d’ Alene 2010)

Ironman Coeur d 'Alene 2010

I’ve never lacked confidence.  Often that’s a good thing but on more than one occasion its gotten me in over my head. It’s  double edge sword. Lack of Confidence can make me train hard out of the fear of failure. Too much confidence can make me lazy.  On race day the confidence that I can run after a hard bike will keep me pushing, while too much can blow me to pieces. It’s a strange mix, I need enough while still respecting the race.

I don’t care how fast or slow, how easy or hard I go, Ironman racing is damn hard!  That’s why…in my opinion, in order to “race” (not, finish goal) I must have confidence, there has to be a belief that I am prepared, that all my times goals are in reach, and that if I stay focused I can have the day I want.

Going into Coeur d ‘Alene I was lacking confidence.  After my most successful year ever in 2008 I had struggled through 2 Kona’s and 2 half Iron’s.  I was lacking the desire to train and the focus to detail my macro cycle. In February  I even asked Amanda if she would like to just skip CDA and take a year off? In retrospect I was I was afraid that I had peaked in my abilities and had no where to go but down.  I had set the bar so high in 2008  I was worried that I could not live up to that standard. Well I couldn’t but what I figured out  is…so what?  It’s ok if I don’t.  I only know a few athletes that are infinitely consistent.  Joe Bonnes is one and Chrissie Wellington another.  Even Paula Newby Fraser melted down at Kona and thought she was dying! Like I said this race is hard!  If it weren’t I get bored and do something else.  Once I made peace with the ups and downs the pressure was off and I started enjoying my training again.

Just before IM CDA I told Amanda I needed a good race.  In some ways I did but all told what I really needed was to regain my confidence. I had put a lot of work into my swim and bike this season and I was scared that I would not see the numbers I was looking for.  My goal was to swim sub 1:10:00 and to bike around 5:11:00.  CDA is a slow swim and the last time I was there I was disappointed with a 1:11 swim.  At that time I felt like I was in much better shape than that.  This year I swam 1:09 with my highest over all placing. Mission accomplished.  I’ve always relied on my biking ability  to put me in a good position but last year I was barley competitive with my bike and feared that I had lost some muscle in an effort to get lean and run better. In what felt like tougher condition than 2008 I biked the exact same speed 5:11: 00.  The time I had put in worked!  Coming off the bike I did what I needed, I put myself in position to have a shot at Kona.  I was in 16th position (Kona rolled to 14th)  and just need to run to my ability.  Well it was not my day.  My legs just would not turn over and I knew with in a few miles that Kona had slipped by.  At the time I was pretty disappointed.  I did the Ironman shuffle to the finish and tried to motivate my friends as I saw them.  I finished 55 minutes slower than I had hoped, collapsing in a heap at the line.

I was prepared to be depressed but to my surprise I’m not in the least. To the contrary I’m inspired.  After last year I wanted to get back on track.  I have been methodical in my training and believe I’m closer than I thought.  I’m better in two of the three phases and close to the last piece, my run.  I know what needs to be done and am motivated to do it.  I have to drop weight slowly until my BMI is 5% and I need months of 10 mile steady state runs.  I have the drive for both but more importantly I am confident that I can get there and race well.

Bike legs…Check!

Mountain top show down

For the last month I have been focusing on one date.  No not the Charleston S.C. Half Ironman, not Ironman Coeur d’Alene.  April 22-25 Iron Camp!  Races don’t worry me I know what to expect from those but Iron Camp…God only knows what will happen there!  The best way to check my fitness and really know where I’m at in my training cycle is to go to the mountains and ride, hard! The only problem is I know how bad that can sting!

There is no better way to check current ability than a Time Trial.  All that’s needed is a set course and consistent conditions.  The conditions are the toughest factor so, I prefer to Time trial up hill.   By using a climbing TT (10% avg grade) I am able to limit the effect of wind.  My course of choice is Beech Mountain. The same climb Lance Armstrong used to access his fitness for his come back to the Tour de France. The hard part of a TT for me is sustained intensity (lactate threshold).  Riding at the hardest sustainable effort takes real focus the kind of focus I have trouble finding motivation for on my own.  That’s why for the last few years Nick and I have turned it into a race. Nothing motivates either one of us more than watching the other suffer, greatly!

On the close of last season Nick life changed…for the better.  He and wife Jen started a family.  Nick, after a very successful season as a working Pro triathlete.  Decided he had new and exciting challenges he wanted to focus on and retired from racing.  Nick is a good friend so I was happy for him but disappointed to lose a training partner.  There are plenty of people to ride and run with but no one pushes me to my limits like Nick.  We both have ego’s and neither one of us likes to lose.

Nick and I run Iron Camp together and this year would be no different except for a bet.  Nick bet me that he could out ride me on 5hrs of training per week. I on the other hand would lay down the largest bike volume I’ve ever held, 400 miles per week.   I’m not a shit talker or at least that’s not how I see myself.  Nick on the other hand loves to stir the pot.

For the last year I’ve been trying to find motivation.  Not to train but to train at the level it takes to be at my absolute best. That kind of training can be a grind and takes long months of focused effort.  This year I found it. I found it with the bet.  For some reason out of the blue I started calling Nick and leaving him messages taunting him and telling him each day how I was going to destroy him at Camp.  I said the most outrageous things I could think of and we would both find ourselves laughing hysterically.  Well, even in fun we both put ourselves on the line and Camp would become the showdown. We both blew it up so big that people  were asking us each week heading into camp, how do feel?   How are your legs? Is Nick ready…are you ready? Honestly, I was nervous.

Campers cresting Snake Mountain

Camp started and our main concerns were that the campers get the best experience possible.   We would put the bet on the back burner and only if the opportunity arose would we test each other.  On day one we led out 17 campers over a very challenging course. Nick and I spent most of the ride trying to keep the group together, riding back and forth from back to front.  We were both spent but did manage to fire a few salvos at each other.  Nick led out one 15 minute climb up the back side of Snake Mountain.  He put me under pressure from the start. The lead in was a 2-3% false flat that we hit at LT.  I was in a bad spot, at the moment and never found my rhythm.  Nick stuck it to me and put a sizable gap on me by the top, about 50 seconds.  Later in the day we volleyed again on Big Hill, a short winding climb the averages around 5%.  By this time I was feeling much better and attacked off a long lead out.  I made a big mistake by not realizing I was still in my big ring and while I fumbled to shift Nick came over the top and secured another 15 seconds. Even after giving up time again I felt good about the effort.  During the first climb I was unable to find a rhythm and unable to access high heart rates, not this time I literally stood until I became dizzy then sat on LT  plus 5 beats. The effort stung us both and Nick was surprised at how hard he had to ride to stave off the attack. We finished the ride on friendly terms and both wondered what kind of legs we would have the next day.  Day 2 and the Loop of Truth.  This day has all the big climbs and finishes with Beech.  We rolled out playing nice letting the campers set the pace and using the opportunity to access the damage to our legs while we warmed up.  I felt ok at best.  On Clarks Creek, a short steep climb I felt bad.  Unable to get my heart rate up my legs were crap…I was worried.  Once we hit the Parkway I was getting grumpy and feeling very uncomfortable.  I was not even sure I would be able to get up Beech let alone race it.  I was hoping Nick felt the same, but judging by his upbeat attitude I knew better.  As a last ditch effort to right the ship I tossed in double my normal calories and chased it with a ton of water.  15 minutes later a miracle happened, I felt great!  Evidently, I had missed my nutrition and that is all it took (good lesson for race day).  We strolled easy over to Beech told the campers to ride their own pace and then, it was game on! Nick stood up an immediately rode away from me. I settled into my rhythm and tried to limit the gap.  It stopped at about 70 meters.  We seemed to be going the same speed for a while after that but then I noticed the gap coming down.   By the half way point I closed it down completely and we rode side by side.  I was completely at my limit. Nick stood up and grew the gap to 20 meters.  After a another 4 minutes or so I had closed it again.   I could tell by the look on his face that he felt under pressure. He said something about not being able to finish but I was breathing too hard to even talk.  We both thought that we were cracking and that we were riding terribly slow.  With two turns to go he again stood and gaped me. This time it would stick and by the top he had a 25 second victory.  The showdown was over and Nick is the undisputed King of the Mountains but it took a P.R. to do it.  We have raced that climb numerous times but this was the closet battle in quite a while.  It was upon reaching the top that we both set our personal best times.  Even after losing I feel great.  I was able to hold LT for the entire climb, I set my fastest time,  and I’m not close to race weight.  All this means is, my legs are ready.  I’ve still got time to come up for race day but the ground work is done.

Thanks to Nick KOM, I have trained hard and focused.  I feel good about my bike and looking forward to race day.  Nick better stay fit because if I sense any weakness I will attack him again! Now swim and run focus and watch out m40-44 age group, I’m feeling good!

The Big 3…

Recovering legs in the river

Well I’m still alive…barley!  After progressively pulverizing myself for 3 weeks I made it to my recovery week.  It was much needed as I was starting to really struggle through workouts.  At the on set of this block I only thought of how much fun it would be just to try and hit the numbers. I never really consider it to be a learning experience but that it was!

Week 1 came and went and I felt great. By the end of week 2 though I was worried.  All the running combined with the bike miles was leaving its mark. In order to hit all my work outs I was forced to place them on short rest, problem 1.  The longest stretch between training sets was 10 hours.  This did not give me adequate time to recover, so I was going into each work out more and more fatigued.  Also as a result of the increased work load, my appetite decreased, problem 2.  Not completely but enough that I was definitely in a calorie deficit starting each work secession.  This deficit  also slowed recovery and made bonking a continual reality.

Week 3 started rough I was spent and ready to be done.  By Wednesday though I was feeling better. This told me that I was recovering be it slowly.  At this point I made a couple of good decisions, first I kept my heart rate very low in all work outs, second I started eating big,  probably around 1500 calories a day more than normal and third I started drinking water in ever increasing amounts especially before I went to bed. The calories and hydration were key. I felt good going into the weekend and was able to hold on to the end.  I was surprised at how well I actually felt on my last Saturday.  I laid down my largest brick of the season, 120 miles biking and transition for 12 miles running. I felt horrible to start the bike and thought I might be getting the flu.  I was wrong …dehydrated.  I started drinking copious amounts of water and by mile 50 was feeling fine.  I spent the rest of the ride paying close attention to my fuel and by the end of the bike I was picking up steam.  Transitioning into the run I topped off with twice the normal calories and stopped twice to drink water to the point I was uncomfortable.  I ran with two of my younger training partners (28,29 yrs) They had both done most of the ride with me and now were running along side me.  They were much more excited than I at the start of the day, but by mile 5 their lack of years of milage was showing and they were looking for a way out. They hung tough for 2 more miles and then headed home. As they pulled off I was worried that I was going to have to suffer alone but that is when I realized “I feel great!”  Much to my surprise  I did not mind running alone and actually was inspired to drop the pace close to Half Ironmna pace.  Long story short, I got it right, fuel, water, etc.

Here is the take away. It’s not rocket science but sometimes when we are too close the problem the answer can be hard to see. The problem is the same whether it’s training or a race, especially Ironman…a drop in performance coupled with the loss of motivation.  The answer is always one of the big Three. 1 fuel, 2 hydration, 3 rest(recovery).  If you are not motivated when you should be, if you are moving slower than you should be, start with the answer and work your way out.  Don’t just quit or walk.

My base phase is complete and all is well I’m heathy and fit.  I’m about 80 percent ready for my key race.  I need to lose a few pounds and layer on a little speed.  That should have me flying at Ironman CDA!

By the numbers

Week 3:

Run: 31.0 mi
Bike: 471.0 mi
Sw: 10,000.0 m
Hours: 33.4

Smoke screen; week 3

I’ll make this short and sweet.

I am Smoked! No matter how easy or slow I go, no matter how careful I am with Heart rate, pace etc.  Holding 30 hours a week, 3 weeks in a row is blowing me to pieces.  It has been and remains interesting to go through this process.

Week 1; The first week went great. After coming off a rest week I was feeling great.  My training to that point had been very standard. I was methodically building volume in all three sports.  Even though week 1 was large by most standards it is the perfect number for me.  350 bike miles 50 run miles and 12 grand swimming  is my go to week when I’m ready to get serious.

Week 2; This is where it started to get tough. By upping the bike by an additional 65 miles  It was just enough to slow my recovery.  I was tired but had been there before usually after a really big camp.  I know how to push through this level of fatigue and did so.  The big step over the ledge was holding several steady state efforts on my week end bricks. “Don’t mix intensity and volume!” I had not planned on riding hard but placed myself in the wrong group ride.  The heat got turned up and I had no choice but to go when the pace was made. in retrospect I would have been better off to drop off and ride home easy but my ego doesn’t wok that way.

Week 3: Here where the real learning is taking place.  My body has quit recovering between work outs.  Every training secession is taking a toll.  i have a big weekend planned and I am going to have to feel better to make it through.  So far my head is clear it’s just my legs that hurt.  My plan is to get a massage, detail my hydration and spin the next couple. I let you know how it goes. Just 4 days to recovery week!

I’m tired but…this is fun!! Does that make me weird?

Big base, wager!

Iron Camp

Ever since I did my first Triathlon it seems as if I had been chasing a Kona slot. Me and about everyone else doing Ironman racing.  I was  racing two Ironmans per year giving myself a couple of shots at qualifying.  I tracked my progress with various means; Polar heart rate monitors, SRM power meter, both of which I downloaded after every training secession and race. I calculated, parsed numbers, developed various pacing strategies until finally. I got it right.  I qualified first at Coeur d ‘Alene and then again that same season at Arizona. Now in stead of focusing on the ever elusive Kona slot, I had my next 14 months already laid out.  This was a welcome break but it left me a bit rudderless.  I found it much easier to focus on how to get to Hawaii, than actually training for the big day.

When it comes to training I am pretty simple.  All I need is a goal.  The goal gives me a reason to train and focus. After the race reload and repeat. Since qualifying I had lost that impetus. I spent so much energy  on getting there I never thought of what I would do after reaching my goal but I spent plenty of time thinking about what to if I never reached it.  That always seemed more likely.

I managed to train last season but it sucked.  My motivation was low, I short cut my base, decide I would work more on speed and….by July I was shot. I had drilled myself into a deep hole and had to take three weeks off just to dig out. I rebased in august and got into descent shape by Kona but melted on the course.  That pretty much summed up my year. “Crap!” I was glad it was over. I took some time off over the winter gained a bunch of weight and by January was in no mood to start it all over again.  I signed up for Coeur d’Alene 2010. I was so unmotivated that I told Amanda maybe we should just skip it. I was really starting to worry about my attitude.  Was I burned out? Would I be able to work my way out of this funk? it was at this time that Amanda and I decided to take a trip to Italy in the fall instead of going to Kona, assuming that I could qualify. I was afraid that this might even make my motivation worse.  With out Kona as a goal did I really need to train?  Whether I did or not I knew a couple of things. I like being in shape and I like being extremely fit.  since there is only one way for me to achieve that goal I sat down and laid out my training program.  As I wrote it out I thought, with nothing on the line do what ever you want. So I wrote it big, very big.  I’ve always wanted to lay down 3 big weeks of cycling (400+ miles per) along with a big run and swim load. Once I had it all down on paper I laughed.  That is crazy volume I thought.  I sent to Nick for his reaction.  He laughed as well.  Nick and have the kind of friendship that we can be blunt with each other. No need to sugar coat things.  Nick also enjoys smack talking me.  When we talked he fired away with “you will crush yourself, you’ll be so smoked that I will be able to blow you up when we go to camp!” “I dare you to try hat schedule, you won’t even make it through second week!” I had no intention of even attempting it. I figured I would use it as a guide but when Nick came at me with both barrels I fired back.  I went full on WWE smack talking! After about 5 minutes of back and forth a bet was made and it was game on.  I would hit all the volume and Nick would only wok out one hour per day.  At Camp we would have a show down.

Thats all it took to snap me out of my funk. FUN! Thats what I had been missing. I had lost sight of what lured me to this life style. a stupid bet between friends was all the motivation I needed.  Nick may be right I may be crushed or I might blow him to smithereens in the mountains. It doesn’t really matter either way it will be fun.

By the numbers

week 1: Totals (feeling great!)

Run: 49.0 mi
Bike: 351.0 mi
Sw: 12,000.0 m
Hours: 28.01

Week 2: Totals ( hanging on by a thread!)

Run: 49.3 mi
Bike: 414.0 mi
Sw: 12,000.0 m
Hours: 32.82

Week 3 (??? i’ll let you know)

Big time motivation!

I will crush Nick!!

10 days ago while drinking coffee, I decided to lay out my next 3 week training schedule.  I was a bit frustrated coming off a nasty, cold winter and felt that I was behind in my fitness.  As I wrote out my schedule I decided to lay it out by what I would like to do in a perfect world (unlimited training time). After 20 minutes or so I had it finished, as I looked over the totals (Average of  17,000m swimming, 45miles running and 400 miles biking) one thing struck me; Wow that’s a lot of work! How much time would that take? I’ve written schedules for myself this way in the past and I never really expect to hit all the work outs but rather I use it as a guide. This time would be no different.

I called Nick and told him to have a look. I knew he would get a kick out of it and fully expected him to laugh at it.  He immediately  called me and railed on me about how I was going to cook myself! he then dared me to try and complete that load. His exact words were “You won’t even make it through the second week!” Nick then claimed that I would end up so spent that by the end of my training cycle, he could crush me at our camp in the mountains on April 22-25.  Nick is very polite to his fellow competitors at his races but for some reason he loves to smack talk me! This time I gave it right back, telling him that I was going to put his head in a vise and turn it each day at camp until his skull popped!

Well thats all it took the bet was made and it was game on! I will try to work out 28 days strait hold about 30 hrs a week while Nick is only able to train 1hr a day. The bet will culminate at Iron Camp Coeur d’Alene over a few hand picked climbs. I am now calling him each day in my Randy Macho Man Savage voice and taunting him.  The funny thing is this has served two purposes; I am highly motivated to train and so is Nick. We are all so both having a blast talking about it.

Below is a picture of Nick once I run him through the meat grinder at Iron Camp…Oh Yeahhhh!!!

Nick after the Loop of Truth!

You can read Nick’s version at www.nickfrank .com

It’s Cold!!

Snow on the Mountains

Living in the south for the last 12 years has thinned my blood! I grew up in the midwest, Cape Girardeau, MO to be exact.  The temperatures there would routinely drop below 20 degrees and may even hit single digits for a couple weeks.  I spent several years working outside, I did not enjoy the extreme cold but I did learn to deal with it.

For the last few weeks its been 17-25 degrees in the mornings the highs have only risen to the upper 30′s. Not ideal but tolerable.  So how to tolerate it?  Simply said if you are cold when your outside…You are not wearing enough clothes! Stop dressing like it’s in the 40′s and put on some warm clothes!

Tips

Cover your skin, the less exposed the warmer you’ll be.

1 Coat, tights, gloves, hat.

2 Layer,

When biking its very important to stop the wind.

1 Face mask (Balaclava)

2 wind proof gloves or ski gloves.

3 Thin tights under thermal tights.

4  Thermal cycling coat,and wind vest or rain coat.

I rode last Saturday in 17 degree weather, I was chilly to start but warmed up quickly.  I actually got too hot, not a problem just peeled off one layer rolled it up and stuck it under  my coat. Don’t wait for warm weather , make your own and go run and ride.

Remember if your cold, your not wearing enough clothes!