Training, training, training

Enough of this waffle crap...training is now first and foremost in my mind; the slow gear up towards the next goal...and my tasks are to increase fitness and strength, lose weight (again), sort out equipment.

Increase fitness and strength.
Now I'm working part time and have shed a leadership role I'm hoping I will have more energy for training. I've also reluctantly gone back into the gym. I hate gym work . Previously I was sponsored by Croydon Leisure Centre and was very grateful for that sponsorship but there was a problem..since I wasn't haemorrhaging from my hip pocket, there was no compelling reason to get there and justify the expense. Yesterday I joined a different gym and in order to kick myself in the hip pocket (strategy!) I paid in a lump sum so I would REALLY notice it!! Today I'll go and heave some weights around...promise.

Lose weight
Gotta get skinny again. Just need to stop enjoying empty calories. STOP ENJOYING EMPTY CALORIES LIZ!

Sort out equipment
**I am indulging in a coupla new bikes. Custom made by Baum. I'm going the whole hog - a moving into part time/pre-retirement present while I'm still earning $$$.
**I have to source a UCI legal integrated TT bar that also doesn't weight a ton. I'm checking out the following...Shimano PRO missile, 3T mistral pro, Profile Design CX3 and Alpina (?linked to Dolan)
**Gears: since the Worlds (was it only 2 weeks ago?) I've been staring at the gear chart trying to work out other gear combinations for my TT and pursuit races. For ease more than anything else, I've tended to keep a 15 cog on and just changed the chain rings around...50, 51 or 52, however a chance comment in our apartment in Parramatta during the Worlds week led me to think differently. My problem has always been what gear to use in the TT, since if its too heavy I can't start quickly but can kick on, but conversely if its too light I spin out well before the end. Somehow the concept that a smaller chain ring might possibly give one a quicker start up from the gate has totally been off my radar for ever...is it myth or fact?

Training session yesterday was 3 x 10 efforts at ~ or just below threshold on the road or track. The weather was iffy and the only place to do 10 mins uninterrupted efforts on the road was too far away, so off to DISC I went.
My TT gear tends to be 51/15 (91.8) so I decided to give 48/14 (92.6) a go to see how it felt. I changed the cog first then attempted to put the chainring on. 10 minutes later I gave up..the little bugger would not go onto my SRM thingey..the fit was just too tight. Actually my race chain rings are also a very neat fit, but this just one would not go on, tightening all but the last screw wouldn't encourage it to click into place and rotating it to see if a different combo might just work was also unsuccessful.

!@#$%!

I left the 14 on and did my 3 x 10 min efforts on a larger gear than intended..49/14.(94.5) ! Well.. no standing starts attempted but I got through the session alright and chugged into work late in the morning ready for the fray and an afternoon of 3 meetings...gotta shed these committees soon, after all now I'm just a worker bee/ant.

Rest day today apart from that promised session in the gym and I'll try and stay there for more than 5 minutes. Honest.