Aconcagua 2009 Expedition

Vuelta a Baja road ride and vacation... for fun!

I know… I’m still preparing for the trip to Aconcagua, and I’ve already started thinking about my next adventure.  Well, to celebrate the kickoff of the Tour de France this weekend, I have started the Vuelta a Baja site – http://vueltaabaja.com/.  The goal is to have a tour style road ride from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas.  I have just started working through the itinerary but it looks like it will be 6-7 days riding, then 5 days in Cabo relaxing, then two days driving back. 

The best thing I think about the concept of the vuelta is that it allows serious riders, non-serious riders, and plain old vacationers to have a great trip.  The cyclists will take off from the stage starting point in the morning with a support car following, and the lead car taking off to spot any issues with the road where we may need to dismount for a distance.  Anyone can ride one day and skip the next (or the rest), or a partial day.  The stage starting and ending points will be located to provide a good day’s ride out on the open road, and will avoid dangerous city areas or hazerdous areas of road.

Anyhow, I’ve just started working on the plans for the Vuelta, and hope it will come together.  I think it could be a great experience and a great time for everyone.

honey stinger peanut butter energy bar... Wow, get one today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have previously reviewed the Honey Stinger Peanut Butta Pro protein bar, but I had not yet reviewed the Honey Stinger peanut butter ‘n honey energy bar…  Well, I just finished my first bar and holy-moly that thing was good!  peanutty, a little chocolate but not too much, a nice crackly-crunch…  yum!  The bar did not suffer from chalkyness the way a lot of other bars do while still delivering 10g of protein.   There is a slight chewyness that upon reflection is softer but along the lines of the chew in a power bar, but the crispies embedded made the chew pleasant in a much different way and I didn’t even think powerbar while eating it.  I didn’t even need a drink to get the bar down completely…  though I might have started salivating a bit more after I tasted the bar…   overall 1st bar rating – 9/10

I’ll take this opportunity to also provide my first impression of the First Endurance EFS Energy powder (lemon lime)…  I poured 12 ounces of water-cooler cold water into a 16 oz glass, followed by one level scoop of EFS.  The first thing I noticed is the volume of powder to water… it is a pretty big scoop for just 12 oz of water… seems strange.  Next, I found myself stirring frantically, with white powder still settling at the bottom after only a few seconds… it reminded me of creatine suppliments, and since this contains glutamine, I am guessing it may be what was sitting at the bottom of my glass.  I took my first sip, and the flavor was quite strong and sour.  it reminded me a bit of crystal light.  I added another 3 ounces of water and drank the entire glass over the next 2 minutes. 

Overall, I enjoyed the EFS… I will try it again during a long workout hopefully next week.  My baseline for sports beverages is gookinaid (vitalyte) which has a light flavor, dissolves easily, and is easy to drink and digest while running…  This fell far short of my baseline for running, though have not ruled it out from mountaineering, and look forward to giving it another try… first impression – 6/10

Well, despite a horrible workout to start the week on Monday, my training the last two days has been fantastic… I’ve felt stronger than ever, ran faster than ever, and been able to keep pushing longer than ever… It feels good.

Tuesday June 23rd – BRICK:
     90 s @ 7.0, 60 s @ 3.5, 180 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 3.5
     90 s @ 7.0, 60 s @ 3.5, 180 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 3.5
     90 s @ 7.5, 60 s @ 3.5, 180 s @ 7.0, 60 s @ 3.5
     90 s @ 8.0, 60 s @ 3.5, 180 s @ 7.0, cool down

Wednesday June 24th – Trainer:
New fun regimine:
     10 jump pullups (rest)
     10 jump pullups, 10 pushups (rest)
     10 jump pullups, 10 pushups, 10 – 10lb curls (rest)
     10 jump pullups, 10 pushups, 10 – 10lb curls, low punches, military presses, reverse flys, high cross-punches, 10 jump squats (rest)
     10 jump pullups, 10 pushups, 10 – 10lb curls, low punches, military presses, reverse flys, high cross-punches, 10 – 10 lb jump squats (rest)
     10 jump pullups, 10 pushups, 10 – 10lb curls, low punches, military presses, reverse flys, high cross-punches, 10 – 10 lb jump squats, 10 straight-arm swing (raise) with 25 lb curl bar (rest)
TRX pushups (3 sets of 15)
weight bench step-ups (2 x 20)
weight bench side-step-ups (2 x 20)
off-level jumps (forward leg high)
off level jumps (side leg high)

La Sportiva Spantik's... awesome boot, but can I get the right size for my feet?

So, after much thought and several times in the gym with the boots on, I decided to re-order the 44.5 La Sportiva Spantiks…

The 45’s I currently have with the thin superfeet insoles have a good amount of movement, and I am concerned they are too big and will be heavy, clumsy, and could put me at risk for falling.  Ultimately, I think I returned the original pair of 44.5’s I ordered prematurely (after only wearing at home and walking 10-40 feet or so in them).

My plan this time is to put the thin superfeet in the 44.5 boots, then put them through their paces at the gym during my next trainer workout after they arrive.  I need to be nimble on my feet on Aconcagua, and some balance and stability exercises should help me know if the 44.5’s will be better for me than the 45’s and not put my toes or feet at risk.  It’s a cold mountain, and a heavy trek up and down Aconcagua, and I can’t afford to have a boot fit less than perfect.

I ordered the new pair from REI yesterday and anxiously await their arrival sometime between now and the 30th.  Thank goodness for REI – they are the best!

I will post again once I have tried out the new 44.5’s with black superfeet…

Mom and Dad were here this weekend, so the last few workout days were a bit modified…

Saturday June 20th – Rest
Sunday June 21st – 3 mile hike w/~30 lbs  water (up to coyote peak).  Duke ended up with 2 ticks on him, and I had to put powder on the new rug and spray in the truck of some natural tick killer that reaks of cinnamon, clove, and thyme… my throat has burned during each workout since.
Monday June 22nd – trainer day w/ boots and weight vest…  pullups (weak) to jump pullups, roll-ups (on back to standing), push-ups.
Tuesday June 23rd… Brick tonight.  will report stats later this week.

Today I will review several more snacks I have been working with over the past couple weeks during my training…  I have also ordered a tub of EFS endurance drink mix powder that I will be testing in the coming weeks.

Snacks:

Sharkies fruit chews – I tried a couple more bags of these over the past couple weeks… I really like them.  sweet, chewy (but not gummy), and organic.  I have yet to try them out of the freezer though to see how they perform in extreme cold. 8/10

sharkies fruit chews... yum!

honey stinger chews - the best so far.

Bonk Buster bars – these are good… real good.  tried the peanut butter chocolate chip and it was almost like a peanutbutter cookie.  soft, chewy, and very tasty… I ordered a couple more of these from REI (great discount at REI when you buy 12 or more food items… this time it was 20% off).  8/10

Drinks:

Vitalyte - Good ‘ol gookinaid.  I still think this stuff is great and the best drink mix for during exercise… slightly sweet, goes down almost too easy (it’s easy to drink too much and get bloated especially when pounding it after a workout!) and seems to not sit in the stomach long… still a 9/10

Jelly Belly Sport Beans variety pack from jellybelly.com

Next up will be the various flavors of honey stinger chews (if I mention them enough, will I get sponsored? )…  I am also going to be trying the honey stinger energy bars which come HIGHLY recommended from my triathalete friend David…  we’ll see and I will report back on the various flavors in another week or so.

Its been a week now since I’ve posted, so I wanted to get up to date on my workout progress… the last week was interesting for sure with new exercises, a couple days off, and some brutal, brutal workouts…  Overall, I am feeling better and stronger every day:

Saturday June 13 – rest
Sunday June 14th – 30lbs pack – 5 mile hike at Point Lobo park in Carmel, CA
Monday June 15th  - 3 mile run along the cost of Carmel… a bit hilly, but I was also slow…
Tuesday June 16th – no brick class today – I did a double workout in the morning (circuit then mini-brick):
     Dumbbell  Shoulder Height Squat  20-Reps x 2  (40 lbs)
     Stability Push-ups with Rotation 20-Reps x 2
     Medicine Ball Wood-chops  20-Reps x 2 (5 kilo)
     Dumbbell Lunge    20-Reps x 2 (50 lbs)
     Dumbbell Single Leg Squat   20-Reps x 2 (15 lbs)
     Mountain Climbers   20-Reps x 2
     Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press 20-Reps x 2 (60 lbs total)
     Push-Ups on Hoist Squat Rack  20-Reps x 2
     Pull-Ups-with Jumps   20-Reps x 2
     Prisoner-Squats    20-Reps x 2
     Squat-Jumps    20-Reps x 2
     Alternating -Leg Reverse Lunges  20-Reps x 2
     Plank     30-sec on 30-sec off x 5
     Reverse-Crunches   20-Reps x 2
     Crunches-Palms to the Mat  20-Reps x 2
     spin bike (30 minutes w/ hills and sprints)
     treadmill – 20 minutes intervals (up to 7 mph)
Wednesday June 17th:
     Trainer workout:
     pull-ups (did a full set of 10 no rest!!!!!!!!!!) 3 sets of 10
     stability ball push-ups
     1 leg squats
     climbing pull-ups
     climbing lunge
     TRX
Thursday June 18th – trainer workout
     Balance challenge
     TRX chest stretch
     TRX core workout (leg swings & spreads in pushup position)

Friday 6/12 – Circuit training
Dumbbell  Shoulder Height Squat  20-Reps x 2  (40 lbs)
Stability Push-ups with Rotation 20-Reps x 2
Medicine Ball Wood-chops  20-Reps x 2 (5 kilo)
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Dumbbell Lunge    20-Reps x 2 (50 lbs)
Dumbbell Single Leg Squat   20-Reps x 2 (15 lbs)
Mountain Climbers   20-Reps x 2
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Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press 20-Reps x 2 (60 lbs total)
Push-Ups on Hoist Squat Rack  20-Reps x 2
Pull-Ups-with Jumps   20-Reps x 2
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Prisoner-Squats    20-Reps x 2
Squat-Jumps    20-Reps x 2
Alternating -Leg Reverse Lunges  20-Reps x 2

Plank     30-sec on 30-sec off x 5
Reverse-Crunches   20-Reps x 2
Crunches-Palms to the Mat  20-Reps x 2

Thursday 6/11 PM – Brick – 45 spin, 30 run (tempo, 2.5 miles @ 5.5-5.7mph)

Wednesday 6/10 - Trainer Workout (weight vest & boots)
    Jump pullups (2 sets to failure)
    lunges w/ 40 lbs
    bosu squat presses 3 sets
    stability push ups
    stability dumbell press
    balance (bosu)
    crawls
    bosu rows
    reverse crunches
   stability crunches

Tuesday 6/9 PM – 1 mile 4.5mph jog warmup, Brick – 45 spin, 30 run (intervals, 3 miles):
     90 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 4.5, 180 s @ 6.8, 60 s @ 4.5
     90 s @ 7.0, 60 s @ 4.5, 180 s @ 6.2, 60 s @ 4.5
     90 s @ 7.2, 60 s @ 4.5, 180 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 4.5
     90 s @ 7.4, 60 s @ 4.5, 180 s @ 6.5, cool down

Thursday June 4th – Brick - 45 bike, 30 run.
Friday – Trainer workout – Similar to Wednesday…  Bosu squat-presses, swiss ball crunches. etc.  TRX (handles in hands) leg raises to vertical.
Saturday – Off
Sunday – Muddy Buddy San Jose
Monday – Trainer day (no weight vest or boots):
     rows
     bosu squat press
    swiss ball plank / crunch
    swiss ball pushups
    swiss ball leg raise (back)
    TRX 1-arm squat to pull up
    TRX chops
    TRX squat chops
    band chops

Tuesday PM – 1 mile 4.5mph jog warmup, Brick – 45 spin, 30 run (intervals, 3 miles):
     90 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 4.1, 180 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 4.2
     90 s @ 7.0, 60 s @ 4.2, 180 s @ 6.2, 60 s @ 4.2
     90 s @ 7.2, 60 s @ 4.5, 180 s @ 6.5, 60 s @ 4.2
     90 s @ 7.4, 60 s @ 4.5, 180 s @ 6.5, cool down
Wednesday – Trainer Day (no vest or boots):
     jump pullups (1 set 20)
     pullups (3 sets 10 attempted)
     pushup routine (incline on bench15, flat on ground 10, 3 sets)
     squat press (15 lbs -15 reps, 17.5 lbs – 15 reps, 20lbs – 15 reps)
     medicine ball swings (squat, swing from between legs to perpendicular) – 15, 3 sets each arm.
     lunges
    standing lunge and medicine ball orbit front leg (2 minutes each leg, x3)
    walking lunge and medicine ball orbit front leg