This year was kind of strange. In years past, I would set several goals for a year and end up only hitting one or two.
For the 2012-2013 season, I set a lot of training and weight loss targets for myself in 12-week increments so that I could adjust my training as I needed to. I met most of them (but don't bother listing them all here). I also had a catalog of long term goals that I had accumulated over the years of training and racing.
This is a list of those goals, what I achieved, and what I might do with them in the future.
Weight Loss:
I've dropped 30 pounds, going from 194 pounds and 24.2% body fat to 164 pounds and 16.2% body fat. I gained a few pounds over the summer, drifting back up to 170 and 17.1% body fat. I can definitely lose that much over the next few months so I can be done with weight loss by January.
I'd love to hit 160 and 15%, but that might be too low (especially for Shelli, who thought I was a bit too thin at 164).
20 minute Power Increase
I was using my 20-minute power as a measure of my fitness increases over the winter. I was able to increase it from 260 watts in September to 309 watts in March, an 18.8% increase over six months (I stopped testing once racing season started). I admit, my starting point was low because I was pretty out of shape in summer 2012, but I never imagined that I could get my power up that high.
The one mistake I made last years was doing all my testing on my road bike. I really should have done it on my TT bike. Next year, I want to see that same high end power (around 310 to 315) on the TT bike.
5 minute Power
This one was really shocking. For pretty much as long as I've had a power meter (since 2009), my 5-minute power peaked out at 305 watts. This year I crushed that, reaching 370 watts, a 21% increase.
I'd love to see 400 watts by next year, but that might be a bit high to do in one year... still it will be a good eventual goal.
40K Time:
I've had a goal of completing a 40K (24.84 miles) time trial in under and hour for as long as I've been into time trials (since 2005). This year I beat that goal twice, doing one in 59:35 (25.1 mph) and one in a stunning 57:42 (25.8 mph).
I've found that I like the shorter time trials better, so it might be a while before I go after a 40K goal again (though 55 minutes is a nice round-ish number... that would require a 27 mph average)
The Philly Time Trial
A staple in the Philly racing calendar, I've only done this in under 20 minutes a handful of times. 19 minutes was a goal just as long as the 40K goal was. This year I did it this year in 18:10 (26.8 mph).
I missed the podium by 15 seconds, so I know I'll want to get under 18 minutes.
USA Cycling Ranking
I know, USA Cycling ranking doesn't really mean a lot, but it gives me a way to compare how I'm doing.
I finished out the year (out of Category 4 time trialists) as 3rd in Pennsylvania, 23rd in the country, and 2nd in the 30-39 age group.
Training Volume
Some of my best years, I was training around 420 hours over the course of the year (8 hours a week on average over 52 weeks). This year, I just crossed 500 hours, and will probably be around 510 (9.8 hour a week) by the end of my training year next week.
Betzwood-Art Museum Route:
I've been doing this 41.6-mile route since my skating days (though back then I was starting at the Museum and riding to Betzwood park and back). At some point I decided that I wanted to do it in under 2 hours. It's mostly flat but has a few decent climbs and there are several red lights to worry about and a little pedestrian traffic on the trail. This year I did it in 1:58:53 (21 mph).
Race Results
As of March 2013, I'd never won a bike race. My best ever result was from a long range breakaway in a race where I finished 4th (out of a 6-man break that finished several minutes ahead of the pack).
This year, out of 11 races, I won three, finished 2nd in three, and finished 3rd in one race for a total of 7 times on the podium. I never could have imagined such a solid season.
--
With the end of the season here, I'm faced with picking goals for the next season (including training goals, race selection, amount of weight loss, and target body fat). When I was fat and out of shape lats year, it was easy to set goals. Now that I'm a lot leaner and faster, I'm finding it a lot harder to pick goals that are challenging, interesting, motivating, and at least remotely possible so I can reach them.
I have some other ideas that are more nebulous. I know my flexibility and core strength at not great. The gap between my 5 minute and 20 minute power is a little larger than I'd like. I want to see if I can get just a little more aerodynamic on the TT bike.
Oh yeah.... and maybe I'd like to win more than 3 out of 11 races ;-)
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
It Takes a Village...
There are several people who had an impact on this season and my successes in it, both in losing weight and in cycling results.
Shelli
Shelli's idea of support goes well beyond just saying congratulations when I do well.
She's done everything she could to help me to eat and train right, almost from the day we met. She cooked meals that were low-calorie, healthy, and enjoyable. She tolerated my weird sleeping and training schedule without complaint.
In many cases, she was the voice of reason and objectivity. She went with me looking for equipment and offered opinions, often reminding me of things I had previously said I did or did not want. She helped me plan tactics for races and reminded me of things that did or didn't work out on previous races.
She came to every race, helping me get the trainer set up, put on my race number, and take pictures (even after her knee surgery). She had a towel and a cold bottle for me at the end of each event.
And of course, whether everything went according to plan or everything fell apart, she was still positive and supportive of me.
I could not have pulled this season off without her.
The Competition
At almost every race this year, I kept running into the same people: Rich Carolan, Anthony Sambrato, Nick Tsapatsaris, Rob Rakowitz. They inspired me to be better and I know that if I want to win next year, I'm going to have to fight them for the podium spots.
I also need to credit to race organizers, especially of the NJ Time Trial Cup events. They put on a great series, which have me something to aim for.
There are also the guys who were not in the same category I was (or upgraded out of it), but still offered an example of how to excel: Brett Kielick, Lee Sobotkin, and Pat Walter all showed me how it's done at the next level.
Lastly, my friends on Strava. I've never even met some of them in person, but our battles over segments have pushed me to be faster and faster. Mark Detweiler, Eric Schumacher, Mark Hineman, and Jon Gaarder all made me push a little harder than I could before.
Bentley Systems
My great employer who has showers in the office where so a bunch of us can ride at lunch and go out for rides afterwards.
Of course, there's also the group I ride with. Marcus who taught me how to pick a brutal climbing course. Tony who sprints past me every time I want to slow down and rest. Dave and Phil who are always there, who pounce at every opportunity. Allen, who thinks a 54-12 is an appropriate climbing gear. These guys push me every ride and make it fun.
Sponsor
I've been riding for Breakaway Bikes / Quaker City Wheelmen (with all the various names we've had), since 2005. It's been a great shop and a great team since day one.
The shop has taken care of me with great service, great equipment, and great training rides, both outdoors in the summer and indoors at the shop during the winter. Joe Wentzell and his staff have always been at the top of their game.
The team, well, what can I say? It's a great band of cyclists with tons of accumulated knowledge. One of them even officiated at our wedding :-)
Advisers
While I've worked with several bike fitters over the years, Isaac Denham has been the first one who got me truly comfortable on the time trail bike. He shifted my position just two days before my first race of the year... and it worked so well that I kept it all year.
John Dalzell has been a great source of wisdom and advice. I couldn't even tell you how long we've known each other now, but his guidance (and occasional willingness to say, "I told you so") on equipment, training, and other topics has helped me immensely.
Lastly, my Facebook friends for listening/reading me blather on endlessly about cycling and training.
I'm sure I am forgetting someone who has helped me out in some way this year and for that I apologize. I am well aware that I could never have reached this level of success alone and I'm looking forward to next year!
Shelli
Shelli's idea of support goes well beyond just saying congratulations when I do well.
She's done everything she could to help me to eat and train right, almost from the day we met. She cooked meals that were low-calorie, healthy, and enjoyable. She tolerated my weird sleeping and training schedule without complaint.
In many cases, she was the voice of reason and objectivity. She went with me looking for equipment and offered opinions, often reminding me of things I had previously said I did or did not want. She helped me plan tactics for races and reminded me of things that did or didn't work out on previous races.
She came to every race, helping me get the trainer set up, put on my race number, and take pictures (even after her knee surgery). She had a towel and a cold bottle for me at the end of each event.
And of course, whether everything went according to plan or everything fell apart, she was still positive and supportive of me.
I could not have pulled this season off without her.
The Competition
At almost every race this year, I kept running into the same people: Rich Carolan, Anthony Sambrato, Nick Tsapatsaris, Rob Rakowitz. They inspired me to be better and I know that if I want to win next year, I'm going to have to fight them for the podium spots.
I also need to credit to race organizers, especially of the NJ Time Trial Cup events. They put on a great series, which have me something to aim for.
There are also the guys who were not in the same category I was (or upgraded out of it), but still offered an example of how to excel: Brett Kielick, Lee Sobotkin, and Pat Walter all showed me how it's done at the next level.
Lastly, my friends on Strava. I've never even met some of them in person, but our battles over segments have pushed me to be faster and faster. Mark Detweiler, Eric Schumacher, Mark Hineman, and Jon Gaarder all made me push a little harder than I could before.
Bentley Systems
My great employer who has showers in the office where so a bunch of us can ride at lunch and go out for rides afterwards.
Of course, there's also the group I ride with. Marcus who taught me how to pick a brutal climbing course. Tony who sprints past me every time I want to slow down and rest. Dave and Phil who are always there, who pounce at every opportunity. Allen, who thinks a 54-12 is an appropriate climbing gear. These guys push me every ride and make it fun.
Sponsor
I've been riding for Breakaway Bikes / Quaker City Wheelmen (with all the various names we've had), since 2005. It's been a great shop and a great team since day one.
The shop has taken care of me with great service, great equipment, and great training rides, both outdoors in the summer and indoors at the shop during the winter. Joe Wentzell and his staff have always been at the top of their game.
The team, well, what can I say? It's a great band of cyclists with tons of accumulated knowledge. One of them even officiated at our wedding :-)
Advisers
While I've worked with several bike fitters over the years, Isaac Denham has been the first one who got me truly comfortable on the time trail bike. He shifted my position just two days before my first race of the year... and it worked so well that I kept it all year.
John Dalzell has been a great source of wisdom and advice. I couldn't even tell you how long we've known each other now, but his guidance (and occasional willingness to say, "I told you so") on equipment, training, and other topics has helped me immensely.
Lastly, my Facebook friends for listening/reading me blather on endlessly about cycling and training.
I'm sure I am forgetting someone who has helped me out in some way this year and for that I apologize. I am well aware that I could never have reached this level of success alone and I'm looking forward to next year!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Soft Landing
This season started with a bang and ended with... well.... nothing.
My last race was Long Meadow on Aug. 11. I was planning to do a race two weeks after that but an eye infection stopped that plan. I had another race planned for this weekend, but it was delayed into October. There are other races I could do, but to be honest, I'm ready for the break. So I did my last race of the season without knowing it would be.
One of the benefits of hitting all my goals early in the year is that it's not bothering me. I crushed my goal of a 40K in under an hour and I surpassed any performance goals I could have dreamed of. Out 11 races this year, I won 3 and got second place in 3. I'd call that a spectacular year. It also sets the bar for next year :-)
Mentally, was ready for the season to end. Doing 11 races over 5 months, most of them at least a 90 minute drive and several of them overnight hotel stays, it was a lot of travel. I have a hard time treating any race like a "training race", so every race week I'm taking a few easy days to rest up for the race, which really throws a wrench into my training. With races every week to every other week, it felt like I was constantly tapering for the next event or recovering from the last event and not really training.
With the season over, I'm going to spend the next 5 weeks (until we go on vacation) riding how and when I feel like it. That's not to say that I'll ride less, just that I won't be structuring my workouts around certain goals or planning them out in advance. I'll just ride and see what happens.
My fitness is a bit of a mess. I'm strong in 20 to 40 minute time trials, but I have no endurance, no sprint, and no anaerobic capacity. I'm looking forward to getting a little more balance in the coming weeks. Oh, and maybe a few Strava KOMs that I lost but didn't bother getting back during the season ;-)
I do have one other little goal related to training volume, but I'll go into that more in a later post. Let's just say that this year has been the highest training volume I've ever had and I'm getting close to a nice big round number.
I've started loosely looking back at the year to see what I did well and what I should take a look at changing for next year, whether it's training, event selection, race tactics, or travel logistics. I'll post some of the results of my analysis as I get around to it.
My last race was Long Meadow on Aug. 11. I was planning to do a race two weeks after that but an eye infection stopped that plan. I had another race planned for this weekend, but it was delayed into October. There are other races I could do, but to be honest, I'm ready for the break. So I did my last race of the season without knowing it would be.
One of the benefits of hitting all my goals early in the year is that it's not bothering me. I crushed my goal of a 40K in under an hour and I surpassed any performance goals I could have dreamed of. Out 11 races this year, I won 3 and got second place in 3. I'd call that a spectacular year. It also sets the bar for next year :-)
Mentally, was ready for the season to end. Doing 11 races over 5 months, most of them at least a 90 minute drive and several of them overnight hotel stays, it was a lot of travel. I have a hard time treating any race like a "training race", so every race week I'm taking a few easy days to rest up for the race, which really throws a wrench into my training. With races every week to every other week, it felt like I was constantly tapering for the next event or recovering from the last event and not really training.
With the season over, I'm going to spend the next 5 weeks (until we go on vacation) riding how and when I feel like it. That's not to say that I'll ride less, just that I won't be structuring my workouts around certain goals or planning them out in advance. I'll just ride and see what happens.
My fitness is a bit of a mess. I'm strong in 20 to 40 minute time trials, but I have no endurance, no sprint, and no anaerobic capacity. I'm looking forward to getting a little more balance in the coming weeks. Oh, and maybe a few Strava KOMs that I lost but didn't bother getting back during the season ;-)
I do have one other little goal related to training volume, but I'll go into that more in a later post. Let's just say that this year has been the highest training volume I've ever had and I'm getting close to a nice big round number.
I've started loosely looking back at the year to see what I did well and what I should take a look at changing for next year, whether it's training, event selection, race tactics, or travel logistics. I'll post some of the results of my analysis as I get around to it.
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