So where am I in my training cycle? I am in the last week of my third block of training (i.e. yay, recovery time!). This block has incorporated some lactate threshold work after two blocks of aerobic base building. The third week of any block is generally my favorite. I know what the workouts will be from the first two weeks but can push myself further and harder knowing a recovery week is around the corner. And that's what happened last weekend. My final workout on Sunday was a three hour zone 2/3 bike ride. Well, I was tired. The two hour trainer class on Saturday had been brutal, the workouts earlier in the week had me worn down and JMac and I had been engaged in a house renovation project, spending all of our free time painting the first floor of our house. So when I woke up Sunday morning to more snow falling outside my windows, I had to consider my options. I knew three hours on the trainer was not going to happen (Plan A). Even if I eeked out two hours on the trainer, I knew I was not going to be able to muster an effort much beyond easy spinning (Plan B). That's when I opted for Plan C. I pulled out my mountain bike, geared up for nineteen degree weather, loaded the bike in the car and headed for the Bike and Hike, a local paved trail which runs from Summit to Cuyahoga county. It had been too icy to ride the previous week but I thought with the fresh layer of snow, there would be enough cover on the ice to make it able to be ridden on. Mmmm. As I quickly discovered, there was snow but the ice underneath was much crunchier, thicker and more uneven than I was expecting. After a few minutes out, I grew frustrated and turned around for the parking lot. But then I remembered that a recovery week was on the way and if I could just do half the workout, that would probably be better quality than a weak effort on the trainer. So I turned around again and headed north. Riding on the snow and ice was alternately like riding through sand and really loose rock gardens. I focused on my handling skills. It was slow going and even though I fell twice, my effort was where it should have been. The time started to slip away and I was out longer than anticipated. Conditions could end up being very similar at Barry Roubaix in three weeks so I was glad for the experience. And now I am on a recovery week.
Completely unrelated on the food front, I finally made homemade mayonnaise. It. Is. So. Good. And easy, at least if you have an immersion blender. And I do, thanks to a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law (Triplet 1). (For clarification, rankings are strictly based on birth order). Here is the recipe that I followed. Watch the video, it is seriously just this easy: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-homemade-mayo-in-2-minutes-or-le.html. For the oil, I used half canola oil and half olive oil. I hear so many bad things about canola oil, I felt compelled to cut it down with the olive. But that does give the mayonnaise a distinct olive-y oil taste. I did not mind it but do keep that in mind. The recipe makes quite a bit. I used about half of it to make salmon salad (a couple of cans of Whole Paycheck wild caught salmon, mayo and my other sister-in-law's (Triplet 3) delicious homemade pepper relish, also a lovely gift). JMac used the rest to make egg salad. Both were very, very tasty right out of the bowl but could also be served over lettuce.
Have a great week. Train hard. Recover. Eat real food. Repeat.