Mt. Diablo Hill Repeats

Today I officially began my base phase.

Description of today's workout: Hill Repeats. 20 miles (approx 2 hours) on a roadway with a sustained uphill grade or uphill rolling terrain of at least 3 miles. Emphasis is on hills. Peg your heart rate at a steady level 5-6 aerobic level for the entire climb. Recover HR to Lvl 1-3 during the down hill return to the bottom of the hill. Complete this at least 3 times or untill you have ridden 18 miles (including the downhill). Plan your route to include at least 15 minutes of Lvl 2-3 warm-up and cool down.

I did my hill repeats at Mount Diablo North Gate. The temperature was 55F and I was overdressed and heated up after I finished my warm up. I removed my base layer before I began my first 3 miles. It's been a long time since I've been on my road bike and I felt out of shape and was breathing hard climbing up. I caught up with another cyclist who was stopped on the side of the road and he said he would follow me up a little bit. The man was 76-years old and said that he rides up to the Mt. Diablo Summit (3800') every weekend! I hope to be able to do that one day.

At the 3 mile point, I turned around for the descent. My biggest fears in road biking are riding on busy roads with cars and riding down hill on curvy roads. Luckily, I only had to deal with the down hill curvy road today. I grip my drops so tightly while constantly pumping my breaks that my arms and hands cramp up. I also tend to hold my breath while riding down hill. So I had to keep reminding myself to breath because I don't think I could have held it the whole 3 miles down. Finally, I hit the ranger station and turned around to go up my second time. The second time up, I did a lot better and did not breath as hard going up. And the second time down, I felt a little more comfortable since I knew what to expect. The third time up, I was getting tired and so were my muscles. Coming down the third time was harder than the second time since my arms were tired.

This was a nice, scenic ride with blue skies and no wind. Hopefully, at the end of this nine month period, I will be able to ride up Mt. Diablo as quickly as all those thin cyclist passing me. I'd like to try to lose 10-15lbs and reduce body fat by Vineman in 9 months. Hopefully the increased workouts will help achieve this goal if I also watch my caloric intake.

Miles 1-6: 37:40
Miles 7-12: 31:20
Miles 13-18: 36:50

Total Mileage: 21 miles; Elevation Gain: 3,029'

Weight: 137lbs. 31% body fat; 30.8% muscle