I'm irritable...

I got a good 8 1/2 hours of sleep last night, which I needed.

I don't know why, but for the last few day's I've been so irritable and have very little patience. It is not like me. Today I'm "red lining" on the irritability scale. I haven't felt this way in years.

I'm not sure if it is from over training, brain chemistry or the fact that I'm gaining a little weight and it bothers me.

With all the training I'm doing, I'm gaining weight. I can't believe it! Although, I haven't been eating super healthy, I have been having some muffins, cheese, chips and sweets. But I figured with all the calories I burn during training, it would be no big deal.

My big concern about my weight is that I won't race as well. I was hoping to drop about 7 lbs and race around 170 lbs and now I'm up 3 lbs to 180 lbs. Those extra 10 lbs can make a difference. I was so "pissed off" thinking about it on the bike, that I figured "that's it", I'm going to change to a healthier diet right away.

On a positive note, I picked up my new bike today. It is a "cool" looking bike. The guy at the shop suggested I don't ride it tonight during my speed work bike session, as he thought I may need some time to adjust to the feel of it, and you never know if something is going to come loose, which could be dangerous.

But I decided not to listen to him. I took the bike out tonight for my "speed work" session.

My irritability showed up before my ride; first there was not enough food for dinner; then it is a big production to get dressed for cold weather riding and my shorts didn't fit right; then when I finally got on the bike it was gusting 47 km/h winds and "crappy" outside. My glasses also started fogging during the ride, which was dangerous.

Can you feel my irritability?

Once I started riding, it was a different feel than my regular bike, being down in the aero bars makes it somewhat unstable. I found myself drifting from side to side. I also found that the placement of the speedometer was in a position that made it dangerous to look and ride at the same time. The gear levers are also in a different place and they feel awkward.

Can you feel my irritability?

I rode hard, but was unable to get the heart rate over 154 bpm. I also only averaged 17.1 mph, which is slower than my 3 hour ride. But I'm not sure if it is the bike, the wind or the spinning between intervals?

Can you feel my irritability?

I did buy "blinking" lights for the front and the back of my bike. I figured as I'm going to be riding earlier in the morning and at dusk, it makes sense to take the safety precaution so that drivers will see me more readily.

On a positive note, the bike seems to ride nice, especially on rough areas of the road. The carbon fiber frame makes it a nice firm and shock absorbing ride.