Rans TiRex

Workout 71 - Bike Training - 40 miles - M - 480 - Y - 1631

Today was nice day with temps in the 70s, but with a brisk wind in my fact during half the ride. I set my Garmin 605 for 40 mile ride at a 16mph pace and just beat that pace coming in at just under 2:30 for the 40 mile ride. The ride north on LBK was hard with a 10-15 mph wind in my face, but the ride south was fast with a tailwind. I am getting stronger and the bike is getting more comfortable the more I ride it. Good workout.

Workout 70 - Bike - 53 miles

This was a nice ride to finish up the week. Weather is getting warm and the wind was light, but persistent. I rode from home to the end of the Legacy Trail in south Sarasota and back. I made a wrong turn or two, but mostly it was a light traffic, but stop and go ride across bridges and through Sarasota. The P-38 is good in urban situations. I feel in control of the bike at all times, even in heavy traffic. I was a bit tired at the end and will take a rest day tomorrow.

Workout 69 - bike - 31 miles

Today was beautiful with a light wind and clear skies. Temps were in the 70's. I rode from home to the end of Anna Maria Island and back. See the attached map. My total time was 2 hours covering a distance of 31.18 miles. My speed would have been much faster except for the traffic around Bradenton Beach that I went through going and coming. There was also quite a bit of traffic in Anna Maria and it was slow going crossing the bridge. Nevertheless, a great ride.

Workout 68 - bike - 20 miles

I was tired from my ride yesterday, so went short today...a 20 mile lap around LBK. The wind was brisk, which made it a decent workout. Here are the details. I feel as though I am getting stronger and can't wait to tackle the hills around Atlanta. Flat every day gets boring.

Workout 67 - bike - 60 miles

Rode from LBK to the Legacy Trail in south Sarasota. Met up with another rider who showed me around the south end of the Trail in Venice. We got a little lost and ended up riding back along S. Tamiami trail, not the safest place to ride a bike. I felt pretty good during this 60 mile ride. There was lots of traffic and lots of interruptions so my time and speed were very low.

Here are the details.

Workout 66 - Bike - 32 miles

I rode into Sarasota to a bike shop to get some cleat covers, but discovered I had not enough money, so it was a wasted trip through lots of angry traffic. When I returned to LBK I did a lap and ran into a neighbor and slowed down to ride with him awhile. Not the ride I had planned. Here is the data for the ride.

Workout 65 - Bike training - 35 miles

My legs were tired from the ride yesterday, so I set out on an easy ride from LBK into Sarasota, over to Bradenton and back. I rode on some streets in Sarasota with bike lanes that I hadn't been on before. It is a hot day with moderate winds. I was tired coming home and will probably take a rest day tomorrow.

See ride details on GarminConnect here

Workout 63 - Bike - 40 miles

Did 2 timed laps of LBK. My timed route around the Key is 18.5 miles and I did 2 laps. My average speed was 17.6 for 37 miles. I maintained the same average speed for both laps. Total time was about 2:07. With the 1.5 mile warm up and warm down the ride was about 40 miles. I felt really strong today. I don't recall all my times for this route, but this may have been my fastest in many years. The winds were light and the weather was beautiful, in the low 70s and sunny, although it was more like 80 at the end.

During part of the ride I was passed by a pelaton of 3 riders who were really moving along. I stayed with them for about 4 miles and then they dropped me.

Starting today I am keeping a log of my training rides using a Garmin 605 bike GPS computer. I upload the ride data to GarminConnect.com and then make the data viewable here. To view today's ride map and data click here.

Workout 62 - bike training - 52 miles

The weather warmed up today and wind died down a bit, but I still had a 10-15 mph side wind most of the way. The traffic is still heavy on the islands, and that slowed me down. Rode from home up to Bradenton Beach and then into Bradenton. Looped around back to Anna Maria Island and home. Lots of traffic on Anna Maria Island and while crossing the bridges. I have the P-38 dialed in pretty well now. I was pretty comfortable all the way. The P-38s riding position is the most comfortable I have experienced. This is a good long distance bike.

Workout 61- Bike Training - 51 miles

This was a good day of cycling. Started out at 9:30 am and did a relatively hard 35 miles around LBK. There was a moderate wind out of the east the entire ride, so my speed was a bit off. I had some business calls from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. After the calls were finished I did another 16 miles. During this ride there was a stronger wind out of the west. I felt pretty strong during both rides.

Workout 60 - Bike - 17 miles

Didn't get much riding in today. I spend the morning working on my bike, did some test riding and then a short ride on LBK before dinner. I'll go long each day the rest of this week.

Workout 59 - Bike 27 miles

I was in Vero Beach with my brother. We did a 12 miler together and then I did another 15 miles, with a pretty stiff headwind coming home.

Workout 58- 22 miles bike

Yesterday I spent fiddling with my new P-38. The bike doesn't fit me and I have had to do some major league alterations, like filing down the crank tube, and putting on 155mm cranks to shorten the distance from me to the pedals. I finished this morning, after receiving some loaner 155mm cranks. I did a short 22 mile ride in very windy conditions. The bike fits much better now.

Workout 57 - Bike - 34 miles

It was another windy day and I rode from home to the end of Anna Maria Island and back in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I averaged 15 mph, which is at least 2.5 mph faster than I can do on my trike. The new bike is real nice, except I need shorter cranks for the bike to fit perfectly.

Workout 56 - Bike - 35 miles

I did a lap of LBK (24 miles) with Lenny and Larry. I then continued the task of "dialing in" my new P-38 recumbent bike. In the course of adjusting/test riding, adjusting/test riding, etc. I put in another 11 miles. I think I am getting close to dialing her in.

Workout 55 - 18 miles

It was a very windy day, so I did an easy short ride around LBK - 18 miles. My muscles are a little sore so I may take tomorrow off.

Workout 54 - 50 miles bike training

This was the first day on my new Lightning P-38. I spent most of yesterday unpacking and setting it up. The bike shop I purchased it from (used) left out one of the components, so I had to go to a local bike shop to replace the part.

I did two 25 miles rides. This morning I rode from my home on LBK to a bike dealer in Sarasota to have the derailleurs adjusted. I rode home and had breakfast. After doing some more work on the bike, I headed out again for another 25 miles. During both rides it was very windy and the riding was difficult. Nevertheless, I am MUCH faster on the P-38 compared to my trike, probably 3-5 mph faster. I may make the P-38 my primary training bike as I prepare for some upcoming Century rides. My mileage is starting to pick up and I feel good.

Workout 53 - Trike - 25 miles

Quick lap around LBK with bursts of hard riding. I consider this interval training. The interval bursts was when I was trying to stay with a paceline of upright riders.

Workout 52 - Trike - 25 miles

Did my usual loop around LBK. During one 7 mile stretch I followed a guy on an upright bike and we sped along at close to 20 mph. My average speed is picking up. Getting stronger.

Workout 51 - Trike - 50 miles

Didn't intend to ride this far when I started. I headed south from my house on LBK. When I crossed the Ringling Bridge into Sarasota I decided to head north through Sarasota and find a route to Bradenton, where I would pick up Riverview PKWY back to the north end of LBK. I had a GPS attached to my trike so finding a route wasn't that difficult, although I did hit some heavy traffic in places.

This was a circle route. Went south on LBK, east in Sarasota, north to Manatee avenue and then picked up Riverview in downtown Bradenton. A very nice ride and difficult in places because there was a heavy wind in my face at times. I felt fresh and strong at the end.

Workout 50 - Trike - 25 miles

Did a quick ride around LBK. It was windy in places and I rode fairly hard.

Workout 49 - Trike 30 miles

Today I drove to Brandon, Fl to test ride a new recumbent bike, a Rans TiRex. A physician in Brandon was kind enough to let me test ride his, since none of the recumbent bike shops in the area have one. I liked the bike, but haven't yet decided to add it to my stable.

After the ride, I visited PowerOn Cycling in Riverview and discussed the possible purchase of the TiRex with the owner, Mark Powers.

I then drove further north to Flatwood Park and did a 30 mile hard workout on my trike. Flatwood is traffic free. The only others I saw on the 11 mile loop were rollerbladers, runners and other cyclists. The loop is perfectly flat and smooth, a great place to really turn up the speed and get a good cardio workout. I did most of the 30 miles at a high rpm and felt quite tired at the end. There was a moderate wind that made part of the loop challenging.

Workout 48 - Trike 45 miles

Rode from home along Longboat Key, through Anna Maria Island to Manatee BLVD. Crossed the Manatee Bridge into Bradenton and followed Riverside Pkwy into downtown Bradenton to the Palmetto Bridge. Then retraced the route. The weather was in the mid-70's and I felt good all the way except for some hot foot at the end of the ride. Good training ride.

Workout 47 - Trike - 26 miles

Went hard for 25 miles around LBK. Cloudy and rainy weather, but the coolness felt good. I felt strong today thanks to the great green smoothie I had for breakfast.

Workout 46-Trike 24 miles

One lap around LBK with Mike(my son). Fairly strong wind and we set a decent pace.

Workout 45 - trike 23 miles

Quick 23 mile lap around Longboat Key.

Workout 44 - 41 miles Trike

This was a hard workout. After 17 miles I met up with a neighbor who wanted to go fast so we did 16 miles at a very hard pace. He stopped after one lap of Longboat Key and I completed my second lap for a total of 41 miles, mostly at a brisk pace.

Workout 43 - Trike - 11 miles

This was a very easy ride on Longboat Key with Kelli and Henry. Henry rode a "fun trike" we rented from a local bike shop and Kelli rode her recumbent. We had a nice time. Good to see Henry getting some exercise.

Kelli and Henry riding

Workout 42 - 30 miles

I didn't take pictures today. Rode with my neighbor to Anna Maria Island and back. We set a reasonable fast pace for 30 miles. Combined with my 48 mile ride yesterday, I was tired at the end. The day was perfect for riding, in the low 70's and low humidity with light wind. There was lots of traffic on Anna Maria Island.

Workout 41 - 48 miles

Today was a nice ride. I rode from Longboat Key over the bridge to Anna Maria Island. I rode to Manatee Blvd across the bridge to 75th street. I picked up 15th ave which turns into Riverview Pkwy, which is a scenic ride along the Manatee River. There are some beautiful neighborhoods with homes with full views of the River. All the pictures from this ride are along Manatee River. The ride was 48 miles. There was some heavy traffic crossing the Manatee Bridge, and through Bradenton Beach, but otherwise the traffic wasn't bad.

Workout 40 - Trike 38 miles

Today was a different kind of ride. The weather was cool and windy. I headed north on Longboat Key to Manatee Rd. and then went into Bradenton. I rode to Desoto Park, which was beautiful. I took a video of the Manatee River and some boats. The ride was 38 miles. I was running low on energy at the end and need to find a better way to fuel my rides. I had 3 oz. of trail mix (1:3, nuts/seeds to dried fruit), a banana and some grapes. I put some diluted orange juice in the water bottle, but that was too acidic and caused some reflux and heartburn while riding, something I rarely experience these days.

Workout 39 - 24 miles

I was pressed for time today, but was able to do a 24 miles ride around Longboat Key. Weather was cool and windy. I am still experimenting with on bike snacks. Today I took two small sweet potatoes, 3 oz. of trail mix and a banana. The sweet potato was a bit heavy for eating on the bike. The trail mix has dried fruit, nuts/seeds. The nuts/seeds are about 1 oz. of the total mixture.

Workout 38 - 17 miles

Rode with my neighbor Lenny to the end of the Key and back. We stopped at the new Whitney Beach deli. I was going to ride again in the afternoon, but didn't have time. This was a leisurely 17 mile ride.

Workout 37- 27 miles

I forgot to put the memory card back in my digital camera, so I didn't take pictures today. I did a fast lap around Longboat Key. The weather was near perfect. Great ride.

Workout 36 - 27 miles

It was another mostly perfect day for riding. I rode down Longboat Key, around St. Armand's Circle, across the Ringling Bridge and into Sarasota. I needed some parts at the bike shop, which is in Sarasota, about 13.5 miles from home. They didn't have the parts I needed, but I did buy a new pair of cycling glasses to make me look more like a stud while I am riding my trike. I got some Oakley's that are hydrophobic (resist water beading in the rain) and significantly reduce the glare from the bright Florida sun. Did I need them? No, but my birthday is coming up so I splurged.

I then rode back into downtown Sarasota to another bike shop, that also did not have the parts that I need. There was quite a bit of traffic, which I rode through okay and then back across the Ringling Bridge and retraced my steps home. This was a 27 mile ride.

Workout 35 - Trike Training - 31 miles

It was a cool and windy day. The cycling was hard into the headwinds. I finished the 31 mile ride somewhat fatigued because of the effort into the winds. I stayed on Longboat Key. Forgot to take pictures until I returned close to home. All are taken in my neighborhood, with a pic of our villa with my truck parked out front.

Workout 34 - Core Strength

I have been negligence about core strength workouts. Today I did 100 PPushups (45 advanced and 55 Regular), and 60 ab crunches.

Workout 33 - Trike Training - 40 miles

The weather warmed up a bit today. I stayed on Longboat Key for a 40 mile ride. For a few miles I drafted behind a group of fast riders but couldn't keep up. I feel as if I am getting stronger, but still have a ways to go. I ate an ounce of trail mix and a banana at the 15 mile break. I am still experimenting with food on the bike. My legs got a little "crampy" towards the end of this ride.

Workout 32 - Trike training - 42 miles

It started out as a nice day. I did 42 miles from our home on Longboat Key around Lido Key into Sarasota and then out to the end of Siesta Key and back. The traffic was heavy when I rode into Sarasota, but I got a good picture of the Sailor and his Girlfriend (people either love or hate that sculpture) and some good water shots. The ride into Siesta Key is harrowing because the rode is bad and narrow. About 10 miles from home I got caught in a rainstorm, but kept riding. At the end I was tired. Ate some fruit along the say, which seemed to fuel me along just fine.

Workout 31 - Trike Training 18 miles

Took a short trike ride today. Had a luncheon meeting and an appointment with the eye doctor that took most of the day.

Workout 30 - Trike Training

I wanted to do a long ride today, but only got in 24 miles. I had a conference call at two o'clock and planned to ride again after the call, but it ran over and I never got out.

Workout 29 - Trike Training 32 miles

My son John and his girlfriend are visiting. We are having a great time together. They went off on their own today to tour the local museums and I got in a 32 mile ride around LBK. Cloudy day..but it was a good ride.

Workout 28 - Trike - 30 miles

Did a 30 mile course around Longboat Key. The pictures are of the Longboat Key Club golf course. I did one complete lap of LBK plus twice around the golf course, a 3 mile loop.

Workout 27 - Trike - 34 miles

I rode from our home on Longboat Key to the end of Anna Maria Island and back on a beautiful day. There was a headwind coming home and I was really tired at the end despite the relatively short ride. Guess I need a rest day. There was lots of traffic.

Workout 26- Run/Core Strength

Today was another beautiful day. Before breakfast I did my core strength workout -- 100 PerfectPushup and 50 ab crunches.

Kelli and I went for a short (7 miles) easy bike ride around our house (see above pictures). Around 4:30 pm I did a 30 minutes run (I am still painfully slow). All in all it was a good day.