I've just registered for the Blueberry Time Trial, a flat 19 mile TT in Hammonton, NJ on August 15.
It will be my first bike race since the Clark's Valley TT on July 8, 2007. It's hard to call 2007 a racing year since I only did two races that year and wasn't in great form for either.
I'm not hoping for any miracles in the results, I just feel like it would be good to get back out there sooner.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Dreaded "3"
Anyone who uses a 4-week periodized training system has learned to dread the third week. The first two weeks build in intensity but the third is the most intense and difficult week. Week 4 is a beautiful recovery week as your body rests and adapts to the new intensity.
This week that just ended was a 3-week for me. It started with the brutal 2 1/2 hour Tempo ride last Sunday. I had two Maximum Strength Workouts this week, two lactate threshold interval days, and a 42K time trial this morning.
My weight loss for this week was only 0.4 pounds since I had to eat quite a bit in order to train this hard. I'm realizing that some weeks I will have to choose between performance and weight loss. I probably should be more focused on the weight loss, but the performance part is just too fun sometimes!
Despite my joints creaking like a door in an old horror movie, I feel great.
On Tuesday, during my first Maximum Strength workout of the week, I was able to build up to 6 reps of 810 pounds on the leg press. I was overjoyed. I never thought that at 35 I'd be able to press that kind of weight.
On Thursday, in my second MaxStr workout of the week, I really surprised myself. I started to wonder about my old records. My previous bests, from 2000, were 2 reps at 1010 pounds and 1 rep at 1050 pounds. I'm now wondering that really was my maximum or if that's just as much as I could fit on the machine so I assumed that it was my maximum. The reason I was wondering is because on Thursday, I was able to press 4 reps of 900 pounds.
Keep in mind that I've only been back in the gym for 7 weeks. When I started, I struggled like crazy to press 12 reps at 270 pounds.
I realize that all of this gain is from neurological adaptation of the muscle I already have and it will top out at some point. As quickly as I have been gaining, I am seriously beginning to wonder if I will break my old records.
This morning was my first 26.2 mile time trial on the bike in about 2 years. The last time I did it was on June 30, 2007, when I did the same course, but with a more aero setup, in 1:10:13 for an average speed of 22.39. It was only a few weeks after that when I stopped racing. This morning, I did the course in 1:12:17 for an average speed of 21.75 mph. I was really surprised at how much speed I had, especially considering that I still have 25 pounds to lose.
With my hectic travel schedule for work, I am actually going to be doing a second "3 week" this week coming up, expecting that the week I am on the road for work will act as a recovery week. It will only slightly skew my training plan but I think it's a better use of my week.
As of this morning, I'm 185.4 and 26.0% body fat. I know that's up a little from Sunday's post, but I use Saturday as my "official" weigh in day since it's after a rest day and Saturday's time trial tends to be intense enough to cost me a little in muscle glycogen stores. Last Saturday I was 185.8.
After losing 11.6 pounds, I probably need to re-assess my BMR and calorie intake anyway since I want to avoid any extended plateaus in weight loss.
This week that just ended was a 3-week for me. It started with the brutal 2 1/2 hour Tempo ride last Sunday. I had two Maximum Strength Workouts this week, two lactate threshold interval days, and a 42K time trial this morning.
My weight loss for this week was only 0.4 pounds since I had to eat quite a bit in order to train this hard. I'm realizing that some weeks I will have to choose between performance and weight loss. I probably should be more focused on the weight loss, but the performance part is just too fun sometimes!
Despite my joints creaking like a door in an old horror movie, I feel great.
On Tuesday, during my first Maximum Strength workout of the week, I was able to build up to 6 reps of 810 pounds on the leg press. I was overjoyed. I never thought that at 35 I'd be able to press that kind of weight.
On Thursday, in my second MaxStr workout of the week, I really surprised myself. I started to wonder about my old records. My previous bests, from 2000, were 2 reps at 1010 pounds and 1 rep at 1050 pounds. I'm now wondering that really was my maximum or if that's just as much as I could fit on the machine so I assumed that it was my maximum. The reason I was wondering is because on Thursday, I was able to press 4 reps of 900 pounds.
Keep in mind that I've only been back in the gym for 7 weeks. When I started, I struggled like crazy to press 12 reps at 270 pounds.
I realize that all of this gain is from neurological adaptation of the muscle I already have and it will top out at some point. As quickly as I have been gaining, I am seriously beginning to wonder if I will break my old records.
This morning was my first 26.2 mile time trial on the bike in about 2 years. The last time I did it was on June 30, 2007, when I did the same course, but with a more aero setup, in 1:10:13 for an average speed of 22.39. It was only a few weeks after that when I stopped racing. This morning, I did the course in 1:12:17 for an average speed of 21.75 mph. I was really surprised at how much speed I had, especially considering that I still have 25 pounds to lose.
With my hectic travel schedule for work, I am actually going to be doing a second "3 week" this week coming up, expecting that the week I am on the road for work will act as a recovery week. It will only slightly skew my training plan but I think it's a better use of my week.
As of this morning, I'm 185.4 and 26.0% body fat. I know that's up a little from Sunday's post, but I use Saturday as my "official" weigh in day since it's after a rest day and Saturday's time trial tends to be intense enough to cost me a little in muscle glycogen stores. Last Saturday I was 185.8.
After losing 11.6 pounds, I probably need to re-assess my BMR and calorie intake anyway since I want to avoid any extended plateaus in weight loss.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Allegrissimo Tempo
I had a great day on the bike today, spending two and a half hours at a tempo pace (alone), working on my aerobic base.
I did 49 miles in 2:36:15 (18.89 mph and 147 BPM avg) with a few miles of warmup and cooldown on each side for a total 55 mile and 3:00:00 day.
Oh yeah, and I finished with a sprint, hitting 30.1 mph with 50 miles in my legs! The fitness is slowly coming back.
I got to see my teammate Alfonso Bellacosa on the ride. It's been so long since I've seen him, I didn't recognize him at first. He and I had a great result at one of our early Cat 5 races together at the 2006 Diamond Crit course (in the pouring rain no less!). It was great to see him again.
As of this morning, 185.3 pounds and 26.0% body fat.
I did 49 miles in 2:36:15 (18.89 mph and 147 BPM avg) with a few miles of warmup and cooldown on each side for a total 55 mile and 3:00:00 day.
Oh yeah, and I finished with a sprint, hitting 30.1 mph with 50 miles in my legs! The fitness is slowly coming back.
I got to see my teammate Alfonso Bellacosa on the ride. It's been so long since I've seen him, I didn't recognize him at first. He and I had a great result at one of our early Cat 5 races together at the 2006 Diamond Crit course (in the pouring rain no less!). It was great to see him again.
As of this morning, 185.3 pounds and 26.0% body fat.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
1st & 10
Just a quick note to say that I''ve lost 10 pounds since I started this effort.
As of this morning, 186.8 pounds, 26.4% body fat.
As of this morning, 186.8 pounds, 26.4% body fat.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A Change of Plans
Last week's Lactate Threshold test definitely is cause for change in my training program. Learning that I was very high in muscle strength/endurance but low in aerobic capacity changes everything. Before I had planned on some maximum strength work and some sprint work later in the summer.
Now I realize that I need to focus more on aerobic endurance and power than anything else.
First off, that's going to mean watching my heart rate and power output a lot closer than before, making sure that I get in some solid foundation training. In other words, I need a little self control to go, as the old training cliche goes, "easy enough on my easy days and hard enough on my hard days."
My major goal for the next 16 weeks will be to build a solid aerobic foundation, giving me several benefits:
Notice that I'm completely backing away from Maximum Strength. In the last 6 weeks in the gym, I've developed enough neurologically that the muscle I already have has the strength to leg press 720 pounds for 6 reps and squat 300 pounds for 4 reps. Given more time, I could develop that further, but it's not my biggest limiter. I need to improve my aerobic endurance; muscular endurance is a good complementary workout. It's still not easy. I'll be starting out leg pressing at 250 pounds for 3 sets of 50 reps and increasing the number of reps each week.....
As of today, I'm at 188 lbs and 26.2% body fat.
Now I realize that I need to focus more on aerobic endurance and power than anything else.
First off, that's going to mean watching my heart rate and power output a lot closer than before, making sure that I get in some solid foundation training. In other words, I need a little self control to go, as the old training cliche goes, "easy enough on my easy days and hard enough on my hard days."
My major goal for the next 16 weeks will be to build a solid aerobic foundation, giving me several benefits:
- increased slow-twitch muscle fiber strength
- increased capillarization of the muscle
- increased mitochondria count
- decreased resting heart rate
- increased power at moderate intensities
- increased muscle glycogen storage capacity
- Foundation/Base 1: Bike: Easy endurance pace workouts, some work at ventilatory threshold (about 80% of functional threshold power). Weights: Anatomical Adaptation and Long Muscular Endurance.
- Foundation/Base 2: Bike: Longer easy endurance pace workouts, more work at ventilatory threshold. Weights: Anatomical Adaptation and Long Muscular Endurance.
- Preparation 1: Bike: Longer easy endurance pace workouts, some work at ventilatory threshold, some closer to threshold. Weights: Anatomical Adaptation and Maximum Strength.
- Preparation 2: Bike: Longer easy endurance pace workouts, some work at ventilatory threshold, some closer to threshold and some above. Weights: Anatomical Adaptation and Long Muscular Endurance.
Notice that I'm completely backing away from Maximum Strength. In the last 6 weeks in the gym, I've developed enough neurologically that the muscle I already have has the strength to leg press 720 pounds for 6 reps and squat 300 pounds for 4 reps. Given more time, I could develop that further, but it's not my biggest limiter. I need to improve my aerobic endurance; muscular endurance is a good complementary workout. It's still not easy. I'll be starting out leg pressing at 250 pounds for 3 sets of 50 reps and increasing the number of reps each week.....
As of today, I'm at 188 lbs and 26.2% body fat.
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