Let me get this out of the way first: I'm fully recovered from any training from the prior week and am chomping at the bit for a long training ride at around race pace. In other words, long but not difficult heartrate wise.
And speaking of heartrate. I don't know if it was the afternoon "Five-Hour Energy" I consummed early Thursday afternoon or what, but later that evenning my heartrate/bp was going skyward at an alarming rate. On random checks w/Blood pressure cuff I was seeing sitting Tachycardia rates in the 120 bpm range. Sometimes twice in a minute's time. That is, when I could fire up the cuff in time...20 sec delay...to get a reading. This was after sitting at the kitchen table very quietlly for at least an hour. It continued on until I went to bed around 2am occuring every few minutes. I haven't had a "Five Hour" drink since and it hasn't been a problem. Perhaps too much potassium/salt in my diet as of late? I don't think so. I've quit worrying about it although yesterday I decided to go back on my bp meds to see what effect, if any, they'll have. I'll probably go back off of the meds for the race, though.
So what's happened the past few days?
Bought a roll of Tyvek and picked up using a sewing machine today. I cut out and sewed up a Tyvek bivy for my 1lb. down bag complete w/pillow. Total weight was 9 ounces! Plus it's big enough for me to completely cover up during a rainstorm. This was prototype # 2. All seams were sewn w/machine by yours truly. Prototype #3 will be configured slightly different and will have a side 30" zipper. I sewed the bivies with print-side out and then turned the bag inside out so they're totally white. Final bivy bag will be sewn with heavy duty thread with seams sealed. Carol volunteered to sew the zipper in as my machine sewing skills are primitive.
To answer Randy's comment, I do plan to "bushwack" my way across the country grabbing a motel room when "extremes" are encountered. Extremes? Extreme weather. Extreme hardship. Extreme mental anguish/fatigue. Extreme dirt where I need a good shower. What I'd like to do is time my riding where I could roll into a campground with showers and food nearby, such as a KOA's around 7-8pm, recharge myself, get to bed by dusk, and then get up around 2-3am and start my day. I've posted this before but I'd prefer moteling it when in bear country. I'm not opposed, btw, of pulling off the side of the road in some obscure location, and crawling into my bivy.
Eating on the road? I've managed to find an ultralight 'pocket on a belt' that will ride on my left hip and provide easy access to 'pocket' food. In addition, I cut the top off a one gallon plastic milk jug and it nestles nicely between my front water bottles providing once again easy access to finger food.
What else is going on?
One item that was stressing me out was I had promised a Rwandan friend that I'd help her fund raise for a Rwandan waterwell project. That would've required me to set up/develop a web page "4Rwanda" with donations/storylines, etc. which is definitely not me. I'm not tech savy. Fortunately for us both, Julie emailed me yesterday to say the money is coming in and my fundraising efforts, though still welcome, are not necessary after all. Whew! God bless Julie and her donors.
Sleeping? My complete sleeping system will be coming in under three pounds including the bivy, bag, and air mattress. It'll provide plush sleeping w/2.5" of air comfort enough to sleep on my side without bottoming out.
What else has been happening?
My good friends at TerraCycle are putting together some fast but sturdy tires/tubes combinations from Schwalbe for me.I'll be running a 451mm Ultremo up front with a Durano as spare as well as a 700x28mm Ultremo in the back w/another one as a spare. I orginally wanted to run a rear Durano but there's none in the country in the 28X700 size. With a little research, it appears the fastest performance tire, best handling, and toughest available in a 700x28mm out there is the Ultremo.
The Conti 4000S ii...700x28mm would be my top choice as well but there's none in the country. Zero. Not until mid-late summer.
I'm also getting a rack to hold 5 water bottles on the handlebars as well as small piece of lexan to add to my CF fairing to streamline the airflow over my head.
Bought a speedo extension kit for my Cateye.
Ordered a pair of recumbent shorts...Kucharik bent shorts...as well as a seamless wrestling singlet though would need to carry an ultralight pair of shorts whenever I walkied around in public.
Ordered a mummy style "Big Agnes" air pad. I mistakenly bought the regular size mattress pad locally and had to return it. Too big.
Also ordered a 120 count bottle of Hammer's "Endurolytes Extreme" that's now on kitchen table.
Ordered yesterday a new Patriotic bodysock for the race. Melanie does nice work at a fair price.
That's about it. It looks like the next week, starting tomorrow, will find us in a dry and warm atmospheric bubble between 70-87 as the high building during the week. I'm planning on a good workout for Sunday, Monday, rest Tuesday, and then at least a double century on Wednesday. That's the plan anyway.
Cheers
Here's a pic of my old friend Rand w/a very simillar setup to what I'll be running during the race.
He was extremely fast in this set up. wish I had his power
