Riding, Riding, and some more riding

My bike training camp is over on Sunday. I can't wait. I am getting really tired of not feeling my legs, or when I do, they ache. Same with my butt.

I will be close to 1,500km in the time I have been in Florida, and although it is nice and flat, it is also windy at times. Since I am doing all the riding alone, and some of the roads go straight for hours, literally, it can be rough on the body.

I got a profile from the elevation, but I figured I'd save the time from putting it here. To give you an idea, it was very similar to this:

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It is going up to 80F here today. In the dead of winter. I had forgotten what "winter" here was like. Nice, I must say.

Winter Training Camp

I spent over 20 hours on my bicycle last week. Needless to say, my body is not happy about how acquainted I've gotten with my saddle. 

Riding in Florida has been really nice. Although every mile has been done alone, it sure beats the cold weather back home in Alabama. This week's training has been a little tougher to get done. I am tired, I am sore, it's Christmas, it always seems like there is always a good excuse to stay indoors. Yesterday it was Christmas. After opening some gifts in the morning,  left and spend 4 hours riding in the flatlands of Alachua, Levy and Marion Counties. It seemed I was the only one out there: very little cars or cyclists out. I got home just before it got dark.

The goal for this week is to repeat what I did the past 7 days, plus 10%. It sure is going to be a tough goal, but so far I am on track. 

Gotta go to the pool now.

Ciao,

Felipe

Update

Training is going well. I have managed a solid first week back, and although I am tired, I am not destroyed. It is a good sign.

There is a loop I do that goes into a town called Pea Ridge. It's a tough climb up there, and I did it twice, for the first time, today.This is what it looks like:


I will be using this route often in my training throughout 2008. Ever since I moved to Florida in 2001, my once good climbing abilities went down the drain. Now living in Alabama, there are some hilly routes I can use that have barely any traffic at all. It's a lot more fun, too, to go up and down then to remain on the same 30 ft. window of altitude for a 4 hour ride.

Enjoy your training,

Felipe

2008 for me started today. It was the first "official" day of training for the upcoming season. It was a short day, only 2 1/2 hours, but after a month of doing basically nothing, it took a toll on my body. I am sure I will adapt quickly, though, no worries.

I am to do 2 weeks of solid work here in Alabama before heading to Gainesville for a self imposed Bike Training Camp. I want to try to get 1,000k in my legs in a week, on top of running and swimming. It also gives me the opportunity to spend Christmas and New Year's with Leland's family - they are always a fun bunch.

Soon I will have out the roster of 2008 sponsors. I am working with some tremendous people and companies this year and am very excited to make it public, so stay tuned.

And for those of you who have started thinking about your New Year's resolution, i leave you with this:

The Resolution shall not be televised: http://www.ironguides.net/news/31/65.html

Ciao,

Felipe

IM Lou on TV

Ironman Louisville was shown last sunday and will be again today at 4 EST on VS. Make sure to check it out, as I hear I am on for a little while. I haven't seen it yet, but am hoping to catch today's showing.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States, so I'm doing a lot of preparation for family coming into town. Leland and I have been going crazy trying to get things ready. I will write more later.

Ciao,

Felipe

Pre IMFL update

I am just over 40 hours away from the end of my season. It feels like it was years ago when I toed the line for the first race of this season back in early March. It's been a long season!

Lots happened in my life this year:

- I graduated from the University of Florida

- I got into and passed on going to Law Scholl ( postponed until Fall '08)

- I moved from my adopted hometown of Gainesville, Fl to the outskirts of Birmingham, Al

- Bought a home with my significant other

- Rehired, and partnered with Marc becker at ironGuides.net to consult my fitness and training

- Signed on with 2 major sponsors whose products I truly use and love

- Was able to finish my first Ironman after a failed first attempt

... and on Saturday, i get the chance to make peace with myself on the very same IM race that I took on as my debut in the distance back in '05.

There were times this year when I had to put triathlon on the side for a little while, so my fitness suffered. Now that all of the above has been put behind me, I am ready to tackle 2008. After a quick break post IMFl, I will begin preparing for the upcoming season. I will head back to Gainesville during December for some solid winter training and to celebrate Christmas with Leland's family.

I will write more after the race this weekend.

Felipe

Long overdue update

I must start this update by apologizing for the full month of no updates. My goal has always been to update every 2 weeks at least, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Without further delay, here are some of the updates from the month of September:

I have inked a 1 year sponsorship deal with Maine Natural Health. This company has been a sponsor of mine since early in the year, and they are taking the opportunity to grab the title sponsorship spot I offer. If you are into endurance sports, you should definitely check out their products at MaineNaturalHealth.com. use coupon code BASTOS at checkout for 10% OFF, which should at least cover shipping charges. I have been using their CaveMan Whey protein daily ( sometimes twice daily) and have seen tremendous results in my recovery times.

Sharing the responsibilities of title sponsorship will be Aquavee
( www.aquaveeonline.com). They make a phenomenal swimming tool that allows anyone to turn any pool into an Olympic sized pool ( or open water!)

If like me you travel extensively, this should be mandatory gear. I can't count how many hotels have " Olympic sized pools" and when you see it, they actually meant a 12 yd. amoeba shaped pool. Well, AquaVee allows you to get your workout in without any problems.

I will also be working with Cahaba Cycles for the remainder of 2007, and hopefully 2008 as well. I should host a Nutrition clinic over at the Homewood store early winter as well. You can see their website at www.cahabacycles.com.

Look for both brands to do very well in the world of endurance sports.

On the racing side of things, I spent most of the month of September doing short course training, which I would not recommend to anyone after an Ironman! I had every intention on racing the Tinley's Adventures triathlon in California, but things don't often go as planned and I chose to race close to home instead, and then immediately commence training for Ironman Florida.

On the last Saturday of September I won the Weiss Lake Triathlon, setting a course record overall, as well as the bike and run course. It was a very nice race that has a lot of potential for growth. The bike course is one of the best ones I have ever done - I will likely return in '08.

That should be enough updates for a couple of weeks. I will write more then.

Ciao,

Felipe Bastos