The last few months, my training has been a bit of a mess.
I was sick before we went on vacation, went on vacation, and got sick again when we got back. Shelli had major surgery a couple weeks ago and I spent several days afterwards taking care of her and not wanting to leave her alone.
In the coming weeks, we've got a wedding to go to and will be visiting family for Christmas.
I've also got a bit of an issue with an old injury, a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder from a speedskating crash in 2003, that's stopped me from doing a lot of upper-body weight lifting.
Putting it all on a calendar, I will miss 35 days of training over three months. Not exactly my best record.
As a result, I'm having to train in short, 8 to 10 day training blocks in between breaks. For those short time spans, I'm training very intensely, aiming to be really in need of a break by the end.
It's worked pretty well so far as a way to maintain some basic, but I'm definitely not in great racing shape. Last year at this time I was down about 5% from the year before. This year I'm down another 10% from that lower level. Not good.
I'm starting to think that some of the more ambitious goals that I had for next season might need to be put on hold (especially the 56:00 40K, which was really a stretch requiring an average of 27 mph for 24.8 miles). I won't be able to say for sure until January or February when I can really see where I'm at.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Blog about being sick as a dog on a log in the fog
Of course, just as I start getting into a good training rhythm, I get sick.
It came on gradually. It started Tuesday with a sore throat. Wednesday started the occasional cough. I kept hoping it was some kind of late-season allergy. Thursday I felt like I was being stabbed in the throat when I tried to talk. Today, I'm in full-on cold mode.
I've done a couple of light rides just to help me feel better mentally, but I haven't lifted since Monday and I have not done any serious interval work all week.
The timing could not be worse. With Shelli's surgery in just over a week, she cannot get sick right now. So I'm trying my best to keep my germs to myself.
It came on gradually. It started Tuesday with a sore throat. Wednesday started the occasional cough. I kept hoping it was some kind of late-season allergy. Thursday I felt like I was being stabbed in the throat when I tried to talk. Today, I'm in full-on cold mode.
I've done a couple of light rides just to help me feel better mentally, but I haven't lifted since Monday and I have not done any serious interval work all week.
The timing could not be worse. With Shelli's surgery in just over a week, she cannot get sick right now. So I'm trying my best to keep my germs to myself.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
The More Something Changes....
So, yes, I've renamed the blog.
When I started this blog 5 years ago, the name Fat2Fast made sense. I was 200 pounds and 30% body fat and trying to get back into shape. After almost 2 years of near-zero training, my fitness was pretty low and I was not fast by any stretch of the imagination.
The name really doesn't make sense for me anymore. Like any cyclist, I'm always obsessed with my weight, but it's really not my big concern now. I hope to not gain that much weight back in the future and, let's be honest, most of my stories are more focused on training or racing, not on diet or weight loss tactics.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm currently working on changing my body composition by lowering my body fat a few percentage points, but I'm not anywhere near fat anymore and I'm already pretty fast, even when I'm "out of shape".
So, I renamed the blog. It will break everyone's favorites/bookmarks, but most of my traffic was from Facebook when I posted a new link anyway, so I don't think it will cause many problems.
Welcome, everyone, to Adventures in Training and Racing!
When I started this blog 5 years ago, the name Fat2Fast made sense. I was 200 pounds and 30% body fat and trying to get back into shape. After almost 2 years of near-zero training, my fitness was pretty low and I was not fast by any stretch of the imagination.
The name really doesn't make sense for me anymore. Like any cyclist, I'm always obsessed with my weight, but it's really not my big concern now. I hope to not gain that much weight back in the future and, let's be honest, most of my stories are more focused on training or racing, not on diet or weight loss tactics.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm currently working on changing my body composition by lowering my body fat a few percentage points, but I'm not anywhere near fat anymore and I'm already pretty fast, even when I'm "out of shape".
So, I renamed the blog. It will break everyone's favorites/bookmarks, but most of my traffic was from Facebook when I posted a new link anyway, so I don't think it will cause many problems.
Welcome, everyone, to Adventures in Training and Racing!
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Tuning the results
When I started the new training program, I had expected to lose weight for the first few weeks before I started working on muscle gain. Against my expectations, I was very slightly gaining weight. Granted, it appeared to be mostly muscle but I was supposed to be losing, not gaining. I knew I was over a little bit on my intake, but not by this much.
So I went all the way back to the beginning and recalculated everything. It turns out I was way off.
I had calculated my calorie intake for maintaining weight. Oops.
So, I reran the calculations to lose a little bit of weight and adjusted my diet to match. My weight started dropping almost immediately.
This week was also the third week of the training cycle, making it the most intense week when I am already showing signs of fatigue. Happily, I met every power and weight target I had this week.
As part of the third-week plan, I did one workout at the gym that matches what I will be doing next month. It's partially so I can see how it feels and partially so I have a better idea of how much weight I can handle so. I hit a few shockingly high numbers considering that I've only been back in the gym for a month or so: 6 reps of 225 pounds on the squat and 12 reps of 630 pounds on the incline leg press. I can only imagine what I'll be able to do next month when I'm actually focusing on heavier weights to start gaining muscle.
But first, I get a really easy training week because we're on vacation!!
This week's numbers: (in comparison to last week)
Weight: 171 (down 1.0 pounds from last week)
Body fat: 17.7% (same as last week)
Upper Arm: 12 3/4" (no change, but looking more defined)
Chest: 35 3/4" (down 1/4")
Waist: 34 (down 1/4" from last week, down 1 1/4" since Sept 1)
Thigh: 24 1/2" (same)
So I went all the way back to the beginning and recalculated everything. It turns out I was way off.
I had calculated my calorie intake for maintaining weight. Oops.
So, I reran the calculations to lose a little bit of weight and adjusted my diet to match. My weight started dropping almost immediately.
This week was also the third week of the training cycle, making it the most intense week when I am already showing signs of fatigue. Happily, I met every power and weight target I had this week.
As part of the third-week plan, I did one workout at the gym that matches what I will be doing next month. It's partially so I can see how it feels and partially so I have a better idea of how much weight I can handle so. I hit a few shockingly high numbers considering that I've only been back in the gym for a month or so: 6 reps of 225 pounds on the squat and 12 reps of 630 pounds on the incline leg press. I can only imagine what I'll be able to do next month when I'm actually focusing on heavier weights to start gaining muscle.
But first, I get a really easy training week because we're on vacation!!
This week's numbers: (in comparison to last week)
Weight: 171 (down 1.0 pounds from last week)
Body fat: 17.7% (same as last week)
Upper Arm: 12 3/4" (no change, but looking more defined)
Chest: 35 3/4" (down 1/4")
Waist: 34 (down 1/4" from last week, down 1 1/4" since Sept 1)
Thigh: 24 1/2" (same)
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Settling In
It's week #2 of foundation training and I'm starting to get used to the new routine a bit.
My legs are still sore more often than not, but I'm still hitting my power targets in my riding workouts and I'm able to finish the lifting workouts with a slightly higher total each time.
One thing I love about lifting is that it's a pretty clear and numerical thing that's really easy to tell if I lifted just a little more, maybe an extra 5 pounds in a lift or an extra rep in a set. It's a very different kind of work than cycling is. An intense cycling workout leaves you breathing hard and sweating. An intense lifting workout leaves you slightly shaky and not entirely able to move right.
I have one more week of training before my first recovery week, which I'm already excited for. After that, I start focusing my training on gaining muscle mass.
Since my body weight is climbing slightly at the same time as my body fat is going down, it seems that's already happening a bit, so I can't wait to see what I can do when that's my real focus.
I'm still struggling with my diet. I'm logging everything and I'm just eating a little too much. I think I've got a plan to fix that, so we'll see how it goes this week.
This week's numbers: (in comparison to last week)
Weight: 172.0 (up 0.2 pounds)
Body fat:17.7% (down 0.1%)
Lean Mass: 141.5 pounds (up 0.3 pounds)
Fat Mass: 30.5 pounds (down 0.1 pounds)
Upper Arm: 12 3/4" (no change)
Chest: 36 (down 1/2")
Waist: 34 1/4" (down 1/4")
Thigh: 24 1/2" (no change)
My legs are still sore more often than not, but I'm still hitting my power targets in my riding workouts and I'm able to finish the lifting workouts with a slightly higher total each time.
One thing I love about lifting is that it's a pretty clear and numerical thing that's really easy to tell if I lifted just a little more, maybe an extra 5 pounds in a lift or an extra rep in a set. It's a very different kind of work than cycling is. An intense cycling workout leaves you breathing hard and sweating. An intense lifting workout leaves you slightly shaky and not entirely able to move right.
I have one more week of training before my first recovery week, which I'm already excited for. After that, I start focusing my training on gaining muscle mass.
Since my body weight is climbing slightly at the same time as my body fat is going down, it seems that's already happening a bit, so I can't wait to see what I can do when that's my real focus.
I'm still struggling with my diet. I'm logging everything and I'm just eating a little too much. I think I've got a plan to fix that, so we'll see how it goes this week.
This week's numbers: (in comparison to last week)
Weight: 172.0 (up 0.2 pounds)
Body fat:17.7% (down 0.1%)
Lean Mass: 141.5 pounds (up 0.3 pounds)
Fat Mass: 30.5 pounds (down 0.1 pounds)
Upper Arm: 12 3/4" (no change)
Chest: 36 (down 1/2")
Waist: 34 1/4" (down 1/4")
Thigh: 24 1/2" (no change)
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Foundation 1-1
I can happily say that I've survived the first week of the first cycle of the foundation phase, putting Hunter's plans into action.
It's an interesting mix of 3 days of lifting plus 5 days of riding (on days I'm lifting, the riding is pretty light).
I'm really happy that I started weight training a few weeks ago so that I am past all the muscle soreness and can focus just on training, not limping around in agony. For the first cycle, I'm doing relatively light weights so that my tendons and ligaments can toughen up a bit for the heavier loads to come later. I'm doing 4 sets of primary lifts (legs) and 3 sets of secondary lifts (everything else), with 12 to 15 reps of 8 different lifts that cover pretty much the whole body with both push and pull multi-joint movements, preferring free weights and avoiding single-joint machines as much as I can.
I'm really enjoying being back in the gym. It's something different that, like cycling, allows me to measure progress pretty easily.
The riding is easier than I'm used to during racing season, but it's not exactly easy. My major goal is to retain as much fitness as I can (maybe even gain a tiny bit) while I'm working on changing my body composition. That means doing a little cadence work, a little tempo/sweet spot, and a little VO2 and anaerobic capacity work. I used to think of foundation training as just a bunch of zone 2 work... that's certainly not the case this year! It reminds me more of what I was doing in the fall of 2012, when I was doing one of Hunter's off-the-shelf plans... and that led to a pretty great season in 2013.
I'm already seeing small changes in my body measurements.
This week's numbers:
Weight: 171.6 pounds
Body fat: 17.8%
Chest: 36 1/2"
Upper Arm: 12 3/4"
Waist: 34 1/2"
Thigh: 24 1/2"
Note: The weight and body fat are averages from the entire week to reduce the impact of outliers.
It's an interesting mix of 3 days of lifting plus 5 days of riding (on days I'm lifting, the riding is pretty light).
I'm really happy that I started weight training a few weeks ago so that I am past all the muscle soreness and can focus just on training, not limping around in agony. For the first cycle, I'm doing relatively light weights so that my tendons and ligaments can toughen up a bit for the heavier loads to come later. I'm doing 4 sets of primary lifts (legs) and 3 sets of secondary lifts (everything else), with 12 to 15 reps of 8 different lifts that cover pretty much the whole body with both push and pull multi-joint movements, preferring free weights and avoiding single-joint machines as much as I can.
I'm really enjoying being back in the gym. It's something different that, like cycling, allows me to measure progress pretty easily.
The riding is easier than I'm used to during racing season, but it's not exactly easy. My major goal is to retain as much fitness as I can (maybe even gain a tiny bit) while I'm working on changing my body composition. That means doing a little cadence work, a little tempo/sweet spot, and a little VO2 and anaerobic capacity work. I used to think of foundation training as just a bunch of zone 2 work... that's certainly not the case this year! It reminds me more of what I was doing in the fall of 2012, when I was doing one of Hunter's off-the-shelf plans... and that led to a pretty great season in 2013.
I'm already seeing small changes in my body measurements.
This week's numbers:
Weight: 171.6 pounds
Body fat: 17.8%
Chest: 36 1/2"
Upper Arm: 12 3/4"
Waist: 34 1/2"
Thigh: 24 1/2"
Note: The weight and body fat are averages from the entire week to reduce the impact of outliers.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Early Goals
It's that time of year again to look ahead for next year, pick some goals, and start training towards them.
I think the big lessons that I learned this year are that I prefer to pick my own races (no series-type goals) and that I need numerical performance goals to train towards and use those performances to get results, not to aim directly for the results. You can train towards a power-at-duration goal much more easily than you can train towards "win this race" because you never know who will be there and what their fitness level will be. I did that much better in 2013 than I did this year.
In previous posts I've mentioned that I plan to rework my body composition, aiming to change my current 171 at 17.5% into 164 at 12% by getting into the gym. Of course, I am looking at more cycling-specific goals as well. Here are a few possibilities for next year:
Church Creek Time Trial
This 40K (24.8 mile) race on a pan-flat course was my primary goal for 2013.
My goal that year was simple: finish in under an hour. I far exceeded that goal, finishing in 57:42, a averaging 25.8 mph and a power of 260 watts.
For 2015, I'm aiming for about a 10% increase in power to 285 watts. That should let me finish just under 56:00 (55:54 to be exact), a speed of 26.6 mph. Looking at results from recent years, that would put me in 3rd or 4th place.
That gives me definite numbers to aim for throughout the winter. If I achieve them, I will have a great a fitness level that will help with other goals.
I also like that this race is held twice: once in June and once in August, so I have two chances to try it. The second one is a bit more competitive because it is the Mid-Atlantic Bike Racing time trial championship, a multi-state championship that covers Maryland, Delaware, DC, and eastern Virginia.
Philly Time Trial
This 8.1 mile, mostly flat race on West River Drive in early June has been one of my favorites for almost as long as I've been riding and I've ridden the course more times than I could count. My best result in this race was in 2013, when I was in 4th place with a time of 18:09 with an average 26.7 mph at 284 watts.
If I can improve that power by the same 10% as my 40K, I would be at a blazing 312 watts, which should put me around 17:35 (assuming the winds aren't too crazy), an average of 27.6 mph. In most of the recent years, that would be a winning time.
PA State Time Trial
While neither the course nor the date has been definitely picked for next year yet, it will most likely be roughly 25 miles over rolling hills (since that's the terrain for most of PA) in June or July.
The rolling course will work against me. Even with the weight loss, I'll be a good bit heavier than other riders that I'll be competing against, most of whom will be in the 140 to 150 pound range. Still, the power output increase that I'm working towards should help me get a decent result.
I'd love to see a Top 3 finish this year, but it will depend on the course. Hopefully that will be a stepping stone to win it in 2016.
Other Test Races
I'll want to do a few races just to make sure that I'm making the progress I need in order to reach my primary goals. That will probably mean doing some of the NJ time trials that were primary goals for me this year. Races like Allamuchy (8.1 miles) and the NJ State TT (25 miles) could be good races for me to see just where I'm at. I'll probably do a few others just for fun, but I'll be picking them based on what the weather is like and whether I feel like driving that weekend.
You might notice that I'm looking at three state championship events. It's not entirely by accident... I'm doing them to get information. As a long-term dream goal, I'm looking at what it will take to finish on the podium of (or win) all three races in the future.
I'm pretty comfortable with these goals for 2015. I have specific numbers to hit for my weight, body fat percentage, 20-minute power and 60-minute power. Taken together, they should lead to solid racing results.
Now I just have to do the work to reach them!
I think the big lessons that I learned this year are that I prefer to pick my own races (no series-type goals) and that I need numerical performance goals to train towards and use those performances to get results, not to aim directly for the results. You can train towards a power-at-duration goal much more easily than you can train towards "win this race" because you never know who will be there and what their fitness level will be. I did that much better in 2013 than I did this year.
In previous posts I've mentioned that I plan to rework my body composition, aiming to change my current 171 at 17.5% into 164 at 12% by getting into the gym. Of course, I am looking at more cycling-specific goals as well. Here are a few possibilities for next year:
Church Creek Time Trial
This 40K (24.8 mile) race on a pan-flat course was my primary goal for 2013.
My goal that year was simple: finish in under an hour. I far exceeded that goal, finishing in 57:42, a averaging 25.8 mph and a power of 260 watts.
For 2015, I'm aiming for about a 10% increase in power to 285 watts. That should let me finish just under 56:00 (55:54 to be exact), a speed of 26.6 mph. Looking at results from recent years, that would put me in 3rd or 4th place.
That gives me definite numbers to aim for throughout the winter. If I achieve them, I will have a great a fitness level that will help with other goals.
I also like that this race is held twice: once in June and once in August, so I have two chances to try it. The second one is a bit more competitive because it is the Mid-Atlantic Bike Racing time trial championship, a multi-state championship that covers Maryland, Delaware, DC, and eastern Virginia.
Philly Time Trial
This 8.1 mile, mostly flat race on West River Drive in early June has been one of my favorites for almost as long as I've been riding and I've ridden the course more times than I could count. My best result in this race was in 2013, when I was in 4th place with a time of 18:09 with an average 26.7 mph at 284 watts.
If I can improve that power by the same 10% as my 40K, I would be at a blazing 312 watts, which should put me around 17:35 (assuming the winds aren't too crazy), an average of 27.6 mph. In most of the recent years, that would be a winning time.
PA State Time Trial
While neither the course nor the date has been definitely picked for next year yet, it will most likely be roughly 25 miles over rolling hills (since that's the terrain for most of PA) in June or July.
The rolling course will work against me. Even with the weight loss, I'll be a good bit heavier than other riders that I'll be competing against, most of whom will be in the 140 to 150 pound range. Still, the power output increase that I'm working towards should help me get a decent result.
I'd love to see a Top 3 finish this year, but it will depend on the course. Hopefully that will be a stepping stone to win it in 2016.
Other Test Races
I'll want to do a few races just to make sure that I'm making the progress I need in order to reach my primary goals. That will probably mean doing some of the NJ time trials that were primary goals for me this year. Races like Allamuchy (8.1 miles) and the NJ State TT (25 miles) could be good races for me to see just where I'm at. I'll probably do a few others just for fun, but I'll be picking them based on what the weather is like and whether I feel like driving that weekend.
You might notice that I'm looking at three state championship events. It's not entirely by accident... I'm doing them to get information. As a long-term dream goal, I'm looking at what it will take to finish on the podium of (or win) all three races in the future.
I'm pretty comfortable with these goals for 2015. I have specific numbers to hit for my weight, body fat percentage, 20-minute power and 60-minute power. Taken together, they should lead to solid racing results.
Now I just have to do the work to reach them!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Sampler Platter
With the season over, I'm taking a bit of a break from structured training. That doesn't mean that I'm not training, though.
The best way I can describe my training right now is like a sampler platter: it's a little bit of everything, just seeing what I really like and what I don't want to do if I can avoid it.
I'm doing a tempo ride here and there, a VO2 interval or two, and a few long, easy rides in no real order or with no real goals. Just doing what I feel like.
I'm also getting back into the gym and lifting a bit. It's nothing major yet. I'm just trying to get my body used to lifting again and get past the major muscle soreness. So far, I like my new gym and I'm getting a feel for which exercises I'm better to do with free weights (and inside those, dumbbells or barbells) and which ones I prefer to just do on a machine.
Overall, it's nice to just take some pressure off before I start building for next year.
The best way I can describe my training right now is like a sampler platter: it's a little bit of everything, just seeing what I really like and what I don't want to do if I can avoid it.
I'm doing a tempo ride here and there, a VO2 interval or two, and a few long, easy rides in no real order or with no real goals. Just doing what I feel like.
I'm also getting back into the gym and lifting a bit. It's nothing major yet. I'm just trying to get my body used to lifting again and get past the major muscle soreness. So far, I like my new gym and I'm getting a feel for which exercises I'm better to do with free weights (and inside those, dumbbells or barbells) and which ones I prefer to just do on a machine.
Overall, it's nice to just take some pressure off before I start building for next year.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Planning to Gain
It's no surprise to those who know me that once something bugs me, I kind of obsess over it. This time around, it's that body fat/muscle thing that I mentioned last week.
To put this in perspective, here are the numbers:
I'm a pound lighter than I was 9 years ago, but the real shock comes from the body composition numbers.
I have lost 10.3 pounds of lean mass. That's not necessarily just muscle. It could also be bone and connective tissue, which are also things I don't want to lose. It's hard to say exactly where that muscle was lost since I only have sporadic measurements going back that far (to be honest, I only have the one body fat measurement from a threshold test that I did at Breakaway until I started tracking body fat in 2010). I know that my thighs were 26" then and are down to 24" now, so at least some of it came off my legs.
I also gained 9.3 pounds of fat. That's just fat. There's no good way to look at it. There is definitely more around my waist. I wear a size 34 waist now and I wore a 32 back in 2005. The 34 is snug; the 32 was loose in the waist but was required to fit my legs in them.
This winter, I'm going to start reversing that. I realize that getting more muscle won't directly make me a faster rider, but this is more of a long-term fitness and health concern.
Let me assure you, gaining muscle take a lot of hard work. It's not something that just helping your friends move one weekend or lifting small dumbbells once in a while will accomplish. A lot of people think they gained muscle because they lost some fat and exposed the muscle underneath. Believe me, they didn't. It takes a lot of very focused effort at pretty hard intensities to gain even a little muscle... and at the age of 40, it won't be any easier.
There's another funny thing to know about muscle. You can gain strength and endurance in a muscle without growing more muscle. The difference is not in size, which is what makes it all more confusing. You can gain huge amounts of strength without the muscles getting larger.
This won't be an easy process. In addition to lifting heavy, I also need a calorie surplus. Of course, it needs to be enough to build muscle but not so much that my body starts storing the extra as fat.
I can realistically gain 1/4 to 1/2 pound per week. I'll spend about 10 weeks working on gaining. During that time, I should gain substantial strength and need to maintain my aerobic fitness.
After Christmas, I'll switch back to focusing on losing fat for 12 weeks, aiming for 0.8 to 1.0 pounds per week. There's a good chance I will lose a tiny bit of muscle during that time. As long as I keep lifting, I should be able to minimize it but I still have to be careful. During that time, I'll be focused on building the strength and endurance of the new muscle while trying to build my aerobic fitness.
If I hit those numbers, I should be able to lose about 11 pounds of fat and gain 4 pounds of muscle (for a total loss of 7 pounds), putting me around 12% body fat by March.
If I can pull that off, I'll be pretty happy. It's not quite enough to replace all that I've lost, but it's certainly a step in the right direction and sets the stage for next winter (2015-2016) to continue the same process.
To put this in perspective, here are the numbers:
| Total Weight | Percentage | Lean Mass | Fat Mass | |
| 9/17/05 | 172.0 | 12.0% | 151.4 | 20.6 |
| 8/23/14 | 171.0 | 17.5% | 141.1 | 29.9 |
I'm a pound lighter than I was 9 years ago, but the real shock comes from the body composition numbers.
I have lost 10.3 pounds of lean mass. That's not necessarily just muscle. It could also be bone and connective tissue, which are also things I don't want to lose. It's hard to say exactly where that muscle was lost since I only have sporadic measurements going back that far (to be honest, I only have the one body fat measurement from a threshold test that I did at Breakaway until I started tracking body fat in 2010). I know that my thighs were 26" then and are down to 24" now, so at least some of it came off my legs.
I also gained 9.3 pounds of fat. That's just fat. There's no good way to look at it. There is definitely more around my waist. I wear a size 34 waist now and I wore a 32 back in 2005. The 34 is snug; the 32 was loose in the waist but was required to fit my legs in them.
This winter, I'm going to start reversing that. I realize that getting more muscle won't directly make me a faster rider, but this is more of a long-term fitness and health concern.
Let me assure you, gaining muscle take a lot of hard work. It's not something that just helping your friends move one weekend or lifting small dumbbells once in a while will accomplish. A lot of people think they gained muscle because they lost some fat and exposed the muscle underneath. Believe me, they didn't. It takes a lot of very focused effort at pretty hard intensities to gain even a little muscle... and at the age of 40, it won't be any easier.
There's another funny thing to know about muscle. You can gain strength and endurance in a muscle without growing more muscle. The difference is not in size, which is what makes it all more confusing. You can gain huge amounts of strength without the muscles getting larger.
This won't be an easy process. In addition to lifting heavy, I also need a calorie surplus. Of course, it needs to be enough to build muscle but not so much that my body starts storing the extra as fat.
I can realistically gain 1/4 to 1/2 pound per week. I'll spend about 10 weeks working on gaining. During that time, I should gain substantial strength and need to maintain my aerobic fitness.
After Christmas, I'll switch back to focusing on losing fat for 12 weeks, aiming for 0.8 to 1.0 pounds per week. There's a good chance I will lose a tiny bit of muscle during that time. As long as I keep lifting, I should be able to minimize it but I still have to be careful. During that time, I'll be focused on building the strength and endurance of the new muscle while trying to build my aerobic fitness.
If I hit those numbers, I should be able to lose about 11 pounds of fat and gain 4 pounds of muscle (for a total loss of 7 pounds), putting me around 12% body fat by March.
If I can pull that off, I'll be pretty happy. It's not quite enough to replace all that I've lost, but it's certainly a step in the right direction and sets the stage for next winter (2015-2016) to continue the same process.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
2014 Wrap Up
With the 2014 season over, it's a good time for a look back at the season:
The Overall Results
In the end, out of 12 races, I had:
- 2 wins
- 3 second places
- 2 third places
My goal for the year was to finish Top 2 in the NJ Time Trial Cup. I intentionally made it "top 2" because there was a major variable I could not control: the fitness of other riders. I knew there was always the possibility that someone could beat me. I just didn't expect it to be someone I already knew.
The Competition:
Probably the greatest thing about this season was my competition with Anthony. He and his fiance, Cary, were at every race. We saw them more than pretty much anyone else we know, even going out to brunch and dinner with them on a couple of the trips.
It's hard to say we were "in competition" when Anthony beat me in 10 out of 12 races. The only times I beat him were days that I won, but I'd say the year was really defined by us racing against each other.
At our last race, it hit me that if either one of us had not been there, it would have been a really boring year for the other. We had a significant lead over the other riders in the series: Anthony finished 10 points ahead of me and I finished 22 points ahead of the next rider. I spent every week worrying about how to beat him. He spent every week worrying that I might.
This is the kind of duel that really makes the year more fun.
The Highlight:
This year I won the Long Beach Island time trial. It was the highlight of the year for me because of my experience there last year, summed up nicely in a previous post:
http://fat2fast.blogspot.com/2013/04/two-in-one.html
" I finished in 5th place, about 30 seconds behind the next rider and a full 2 minutes behind the winner. I'm thrilled with another strong result... and starting to think about what it will take to climb to the top next year."Apparently I managed to climb to the top for that event! It was a great result, doing 10 miles at 26.3 mph and 283 watts.
The Logistics:
One of the hardest things this year was the travel and planning. The closest race was a 50-minute drive. Almost every trip included major traffic in at least one direction. Most of the drives were in the 2 to 2 1/2 hour range. The worst was the 5 1/2 hour drive back from Silvermine.
The opening sequence of 7 races in 8 weeks was really rough (it would have been 8 in a row but one was canceled... and there was great rejoicing. Yay!). It felt like we never had a weekend to ourselves, which is really draining.
With the races so far away, we got hotels for most of them. It was nice to get away a little and not to worry about racing after driving for 2 hours, but it also made for an expensive summer.
The Training:
For the 2012-2013 season, I structured my training differently than I ever had before. It worked spectacularly. Like any tinkerer, I tried something different from that for the 2013-2014 season and it did not work nearly as well. I hit the start of racing season about 20 watts lower than I was at the same time last year. It was not a good start and I was playing catch-up all year.
I was really proud of the fact that I planned out the 2012-2013 season myself and I'd really wanted to do the same this year, but I just didn't know how to do 8 straight weeks of racing, when I needed to be well rested for each race but also needed to keep the fitness I had. Since I started the season behind in my training, I needed outside help even more.
I started working with Hunter Allen, cycling coach and author of multiple books on training for cycling using power data. He helped me enormously, analyzing my past training and helping me plan how to keep my fitness through that opening series and how to build fitness throughout the summer. I made huge gains under his guidance. I will definitely be working with him in the future.
The Training 2:
One of my great successes this year (under Hunter's guidance) was my increase in fitness during the month break between end of the beginning group of races and the Blueberry race. I trained myself completely into the ground until 8 days before the race, then spent the last days resting and sharpening my fitness. I did amazingly well in that race, exceeding all my expectations, matching my best 60-minute power from last year.
My Weight
I never really got my weight as low as I wanted, so I was a bit annoyed by that.
On the plus side, my weight stayed in a tight band this year, ranging from 168 pounds to 175 pounds. While I would have liked to have been lighter, I was really happy to be so consistent.
I also made a not-so-great discovery this week: my body fat percentage. Right now I'm 170 pounds at 17%. I found in my old training records that 10 years ago I was at also 170 pounds but at 12%. That basically means that in the last 10 years, I've lost 10 pounds of muscle and replaced it with 10 pounds of fat. That definitely gives me something to work on this winter.
The Weather:
The first race was very cold and raining. It was a miserable start. The second race was freezing cold to the point I could not feel my hands and feet by the finish.
The rest of them were great. None of them were burning hot like last year and there were not monster winds at any of them.
My Equipment:
I almost can't believe I'm typing these words: I used the same equipment all year long. The same bike, same wheels, same bike computer, same helmet, same skinsuit, same shoes, same shoe covers, even the same gear bag. I spent the 2013 season changing things constantly and I think I finally got it right.
None of my gear was bugging me this year and nothing new stood out to me as a worthwhile replacement for what I'm already using.
Looking ahead at 2015:
I'm already thinking about next year.
As I already mentioned, I've got some body composition issues to work on. It takes a lot of work to gain muscle and it grows slowly, requiring highly intense weight lifting and enough excess calories to fuel growth but not so many that I gain fat. That's one goal I'll be aiming for before the end of the calendar year... which means getting back into the gym for the first time in a few years.
I know that I don't want to do the TT Cup as a goal again. The requirement to be both fast and rested for most of the summer just didn't work for me. By the end, I just didn't care. I do better with a few specific targets than I do with one large, prolonged one.
I don't know how many events I'll be doing. I did 11 last year and it didn't feel too bad. I did 12 this year and I was ready for the end after about 10. I think the difference is that last year I picked the events myself and I always had the option to say "I'm not in the mood this week." Compare that to this year when I had to do the ones prescribed in the series (letting someone else's decisions impact my goals). The events were also more spaced out last year, so I got a break once in a while.
I also think the singular goal of "win" was a little too much. It depended largely on who else was there and what their fitness was like. Even if I had been fitter than last year, there was no guarantee that it would lead to a win.
Instead I'll be looking for two to three races in which I want to hit a certain goal. I think last year's goal of "do a 40K race in under an hour" worked really well for me because it gave me a very specific goal which was dependent on my own performance, not on other people's. It also gave me something that I could measure progress towards. Maybe the next goal will be to get an even lower time or a higher power. My best was 57:45 at 260 watts, so maybe I could look to improve upon those.
Of course, now that I've gotten the taste of winning, I'll certainly be looking for something to win. I've always wanted to win a PA State Championship but the Lake Nockamixon course used this year would never work for me. With so many climbs, it favors a much smaller rider than I could ever be. I can only hope that next year will be a different course that suits me better.... or I'll have to find some other race to aim to win.
In Closing:
Overall, I am not satisfied with the season. I had some great results and, if not for last year, it would have been my best year ever. Still, it was a step down from the year before and that's not something I'm ready to accept just yet (maybe when I'm older).
One last assessment for the year:
What I did right:
Got some great results
Achieved the single major goal for the year
Got outside help when I needed it
Made changes in my training when I needed to
Didn't panic when things were not going as well as I wanted
What could have been better:
My off-season training did not yield the fitness I needed to improve upon 2013
My weight and body composition
My motivation fell apart at the end, probably due to my performance being lower and not getting the results I wanted. Yes, it got to me.
My confidence and bike handling skills in high-speed descents
Sunday, August 17, 2014
The Parade to Paris
When you watch the Tour de France on TV, the last stage is largely ceremonial, with the overall standings pretty much determined and riders who aren't in contention for the overall trying for the final victory.
That's pretty much what today was like. The top 3 finishers had never done any of the series time trials this year. The series leader finished 8th. I finished 16th.
I hadn't planned on giving this race my all. I had enough of a lead in the series that I didn't even have to show up to keep my 2nd place and, given our relative performances in recent weeks, I was unlikely to beat Anthony.
The course started out flat on rough, cracked, pot-holed pavement. After a mile or so, it turns on to a slight incline that leads up to a monster 1.1 mile climb which averaged 8%. In reality, it had three steep sections around 13% and was about 5 to 6% the rest of the time. After that, it was about 4 miles of rolling terrain and then a 3.5-mile descent to the finish with several spots of cracked pavement along the way.
When I drove the course and saw the pavement, my plan to just have fun and ride the course just to say I did all 12 races really cemented itself. I was not going to take any risks for the last race for no real benefit.
The race had a slightly strange rule: it only allowed road bikes. We could still wear skinsuits and aero helmets, but were not allowed time trial frames, disk wheels, or aero bars.
All told, I'd say I achieved my goal for the day. It was fun. Most of the time, anyway.
The first mile sucked. I was swerving all over the road trying to avoid cracks and bumps (trying to avoid flat tires or crashes).
The lead-up to the hill was psychologically harder than anything else. You could see the pavement disappearing up into the trees as it goes almost vertical up ahead and you had about a half-mile gradual climb to get to it.
The climb itself was hard but my research and planning really helped. I knew that there were three very steep sections and two other not-quite-as-steep sections plus how long each one was. I got to the top and gradually got back up to speed.
The rolling sections in the middle kind of flew by. Again, there were random potholes and rough sections all over (almost always on a downhill when I was already doing 30 mph and had to avoid them).
The long downhill to the finish was mostly smooth pavement but the occasional major rough section gets you paranoid and I didn't really push the pace too hard. I was holding 30 mph for most of it (except for a couple of short climbs along the way that slowed me down).
I saw the finish line and did a sort-of-half-effort sprint for it. I was just happy to make it through the course and be done.
In a rare move, I hadn't really paid much attention to my power meter during the race. At the end, I was shocked at just how easily I had taken the race. I was probably 30 watts lower than I would have wanted if I was really trying for a race this length.
So ends the 2014 season. It's a far cry from last year, which ended with 3 wins in a row. Still, I finished the series in second place which is a major accomplishment. I raced in all 12 series events, even if two of them (today and the High Point Hill climb) had such poor results that I didn't get any points for my efforts.
With the racing season over I get to relax and decompress a bit... and start to think about goals for next year.
What I did right:
I did well enough this season that my results didn't matter today.
I didn't crash.
What could have been better:
My motivation is pretty much gone for racing this year.
The Numbers:
Distance: 10.8 miles
Time: 32:05
Speed: 20.0 mph
Avg Power: 220 watts (247 watts normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 163 bpm
That's pretty much what today was like. The top 3 finishers had never done any of the series time trials this year. The series leader finished 8th. I finished 16th.
I hadn't planned on giving this race my all. I had enough of a lead in the series that I didn't even have to show up to keep my 2nd place and, given our relative performances in recent weeks, I was unlikely to beat Anthony.
The course started out flat on rough, cracked, pot-holed pavement. After a mile or so, it turns on to a slight incline that leads up to a monster 1.1 mile climb which averaged 8%. In reality, it had three steep sections around 13% and was about 5 to 6% the rest of the time. After that, it was about 4 miles of rolling terrain and then a 3.5-mile descent to the finish with several spots of cracked pavement along the way.
When I drove the course and saw the pavement, my plan to just have fun and ride the course just to say I did all 12 races really cemented itself. I was not going to take any risks for the last race for no real benefit.
The race had a slightly strange rule: it only allowed road bikes. We could still wear skinsuits and aero helmets, but were not allowed time trial frames, disk wheels, or aero bars.
All told, I'd say I achieved my goal for the day. It was fun. Most of the time, anyway.
The first mile sucked. I was swerving all over the road trying to avoid cracks and bumps (trying to avoid flat tires or crashes).
The lead-up to the hill was psychologically harder than anything else. You could see the pavement disappearing up into the trees as it goes almost vertical up ahead and you had about a half-mile gradual climb to get to it.
The climb itself was hard but my research and planning really helped. I knew that there were three very steep sections and two other not-quite-as-steep sections plus how long each one was. I got to the top and gradually got back up to speed.
The rolling sections in the middle kind of flew by. Again, there were random potholes and rough sections all over (almost always on a downhill when I was already doing 30 mph and had to avoid them).
The long downhill to the finish was mostly smooth pavement but the occasional major rough section gets you paranoid and I didn't really push the pace too hard. I was holding 30 mph for most of it (except for a couple of short climbs along the way that slowed me down).
I saw the finish line and did a sort-of-half-effort sprint for it. I was just happy to make it through the course and be done.
In a rare move, I hadn't really paid much attention to my power meter during the race. At the end, I was shocked at just how easily I had taken the race. I was probably 30 watts lower than I would have wanted if I was really trying for a race this length.
So ends the 2014 season. It's a far cry from last year, which ended with 3 wins in a row. Still, I finished the series in second place which is a major accomplishment. I raced in all 12 series events, even if two of them (today and the High Point Hill climb) had such poor results that I didn't get any points for my efforts.
With the racing season over I get to relax and decompress a bit... and start to think about goals for next year.
What I did right:
I did well enough this season that my results didn't matter today.
I didn't crash.
What could have been better:
My motivation is pretty much gone for racing this year.
The Numbers:
Distance: 10.8 miles
Time: 32:05
Speed: 20.0 mph
Avg Power: 220 watts (247 watts normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Sunday, August 10, 2014
A Little Scattered
This is one of those days where I pretty much got out of it what I put into it.
I've thought a couple of times about skipping this race. It's a pretty long drive and it's really not a course that suits me. Being only one point behind in the series, I really had to go. With two races left in the series, I was all but guaranteed to be in the top 2 and I am kind of settling into being 2nd. I know it's not a great place to be mentally but I'm more than ready for the season to be over.
The course is 10.8 miles long on an out-and-back course with the turnaround on a traffic circle, which is big enough to take at full speed.
The terrain is the tricky part. It's about 2.2 miles uphill, 1.5 miles flat, and then 2.2 miles downhill... then turn around and do it the other way.
I was able to power up the hills pretty well. I held a really decent power on each one, at about 105% to 110% of threshold (about 280 to 285 watts). The flat section on the way out was just a hair belod threshold, at 250 watts. On the way back, I was kind of losing focus and only averaged 225 watts (25 watts below target).
The downhills just were not a good place for me... I'm not an aggressive descender. Some guys have no problem descending at 40 mph. I'm not one of them. While I was going 30 to 35 for long sections, I was just coasting and not pushing the pace to go harder. I was just not willing to take the risk.
My only big problem of the day came in the turnaround. I lost track of the exits to the circle and, despite the course marshal telling me where to go, I started heading for the wrong road. Once I realized my mistake I panicked a little and jammed on the brakes. My back wheel locked up and I started to skid out at 25 mph. I let go of the brakes and got control back, but I'd dropped to 10 mph. I was now in a very large gear and had to force the bike back up to speed. I probably lost 10 or 15 seconds... but in reality it didn't matter.
I finished in 7th at 28:41, 2:20 behind the winner (who really does not belong in the Cat 4 category). The guys in 2nd - 6th were all clustered closely together from 27:26 to 27:37. Then there was my big 1:04 gap. I could have been a minute faster and still been in 7th.
Anthony finished 6th, now putting him 2 points ahead of me in the series. After conceding a minute to him today, it's not likely that I'll beat him next weekend and get the 3 points over him that I need to win. However there are only 20 points available next weekend and I have a 35-point lead over the guy in 3rd, so I don't even have to show up to get 2nd in the series.
I'm planning to go and give it a little more effort than I did this weekend, but it is nice to take a little pressure off.
What I did right:
Recovered in the skid and didn't crash
What could have been better:
My motivation
My whole approach to the day
Make sure I'm heading to the right street in the turnaround
Not panic and lock up the brakes
The Numbers:
Distance: 10.8 miles
Time: 28:41
Speed: 22.5 mph
Avg Power: 245 watts (263 watts normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 163 bpm
I've thought a couple of times about skipping this race. It's a pretty long drive and it's really not a course that suits me. Being only one point behind in the series, I really had to go. With two races left in the series, I was all but guaranteed to be in the top 2 and I am kind of settling into being 2nd. I know it's not a great place to be mentally but I'm more than ready for the season to be over.
The course is 10.8 miles long on an out-and-back course with the turnaround on a traffic circle, which is big enough to take at full speed.
The terrain is the tricky part. It's about 2.2 miles uphill, 1.5 miles flat, and then 2.2 miles downhill... then turn around and do it the other way.
I was able to power up the hills pretty well. I held a really decent power on each one, at about 105% to 110% of threshold (about 280 to 285 watts). The flat section on the way out was just a hair belod threshold, at 250 watts. On the way back, I was kind of losing focus and only averaged 225 watts (25 watts below target).
The downhills just were not a good place for me... I'm not an aggressive descender. Some guys have no problem descending at 40 mph. I'm not one of them. While I was going 30 to 35 for long sections, I was just coasting and not pushing the pace to go harder. I was just not willing to take the risk.
My only big problem of the day came in the turnaround. I lost track of the exits to the circle and, despite the course marshal telling me where to go, I started heading for the wrong road. Once I realized my mistake I panicked a little and jammed on the brakes. My back wheel locked up and I started to skid out at 25 mph. I let go of the brakes and got control back, but I'd dropped to 10 mph. I was now in a very large gear and had to force the bike back up to speed. I probably lost 10 or 15 seconds... but in reality it didn't matter.
I finished in 7th at 28:41, 2:20 behind the winner (who really does not belong in the Cat 4 category). The guys in 2nd - 6th were all clustered closely together from 27:26 to 27:37. Then there was my big 1:04 gap. I could have been a minute faster and still been in 7th.
Anthony finished 6th, now putting him 2 points ahead of me in the series. After conceding a minute to him today, it's not likely that I'll beat him next weekend and get the 3 points over him that I need to win. However there are only 20 points available next weekend and I have a 35-point lead over the guy in 3rd, so I don't even have to show up to get 2nd in the series.
I'm planning to go and give it a little more effort than I did this weekend, but it is nice to take a little pressure off.
What I did right:
Recovered in the skid and didn't crash
What could have been better:
My motivation
My whole approach to the day
Make sure I'm heading to the right street in the turnaround
Not panic and lock up the brakes
The Numbers:
Distance: 10.8 miles
Time: 28:41
Speed: 22.5 mph
Avg Power: 245 watts (263 watts normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Time with Friends
This weekend I spent more time being social than racing.
On Friday, we hung out with Rich for an hour, talking about work, cycling, bikes, balancing cycling with the rest of life, and just generally chatting.
I rode the 7.7 miles back to the start with Anthony, chatting the whole time.
Today after the race, we went out for brunch with Anthony, Cary, Steve, and Fran. Like most cyclist outings, conversation skewed heavily towards racing, training, and equipment.
Somewhere in the middle, I did a race.
The race is called the Sandrino's Sacrifice Time Trial, held as a fund raiser for http://www.honoringsandrinossacrificefund.com/ I was happy to see all the riders who won money unanimously donate it to the foundation.
Today's course was a 7.7 mile one-way course. It's mostly flat with a few climbs. Nothing steep, but just long enough to make it hurt a little more. It didn't help that we had a pretty consistent 10 mph head wind with a few stronger gusts.
After last week, I was in the lead for the series, so I got to start last. Anthony started 30 seconds in front of me, so I had the advantage of being able to see him throughout the race.
It didn't really help. I put everything I had into this race. It's so short that you can really fly, holding back just enough to last the entire distance. I hit the finish line with absolutely nothing left, but I could tell Anthony had pulled away from me.
It was a little disappointing since I won this race last year (my first win ever) and was hoping to defend it. I was over a minute slower this year than last year, but I averaged 8 watts higher. That head wind really made a difference.
The good news is that no one else got ahead of us. Anthony won at 18:16. I was second, 20 seconds behind him (and 7 seconds ahead of the guy in 3rd). Now he's back in the lead in the series, with 146 points. I'm in second with 145 points. The guy in 3rd has 107 points.
With two races to go and a maximum of 20 points that can be won in each race, it's all but certain that I'll finish in 2nd place at worst and 1st place is still in reach.
What I did right:
Gave it all I had
Kept my power up on the downhills and when the wind varied a bit
What could have been better:
Nothing that I can think of
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.7 miles
Time: 18:36
Speed: 24.9 mph
Avg Power: 280 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 169 bpm
On Friday, we hung out with Rich for an hour, talking about work, cycling, bikes, balancing cycling with the rest of life, and just generally chatting.
I rode the 7.7 miles back to the start with Anthony, chatting the whole time.
Today after the race, we went out for brunch with Anthony, Cary, Steve, and Fran. Like most cyclist outings, conversation skewed heavily towards racing, training, and equipment.
Somewhere in the middle, I did a race.
The race is called the Sandrino's Sacrifice Time Trial, held as a fund raiser for http://www.honoringsandrinossacrificefund.com/ I was happy to see all the riders who won money unanimously donate it to the foundation.
Today's course was a 7.7 mile one-way course. It's mostly flat with a few climbs. Nothing steep, but just long enough to make it hurt a little more. It didn't help that we had a pretty consistent 10 mph head wind with a few stronger gusts.
After last week, I was in the lead for the series, so I got to start last. Anthony started 30 seconds in front of me, so I had the advantage of being able to see him throughout the race.
It didn't really help. I put everything I had into this race. It's so short that you can really fly, holding back just enough to last the entire distance. I hit the finish line with absolutely nothing left, but I could tell Anthony had pulled away from me.
It was a little disappointing since I won this race last year (my first win ever) and was hoping to defend it. I was over a minute slower this year than last year, but I averaged 8 watts higher. That head wind really made a difference.
The good news is that no one else got ahead of us. Anthony won at 18:16. I was second, 20 seconds behind him (and 7 seconds ahead of the guy in 3rd). Now he's back in the lead in the series, with 146 points. I'm in second with 145 points. The guy in 3rd has 107 points.
With two races to go and a maximum of 20 points that can be won in each race, it's all but certain that I'll finish in 2nd place at worst and 1st place is still in reach.
What I did right:
Gave it all I had
Kept my power up on the downhills and when the wind varied a bit
What could have been better:
Nothing that I can think of
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.7 miles
Time: 18:36
Speed: 24.9 mph
Avg Power: 280 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 169 bpm
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Lots of surprises, not all of them good
Today was the New Jersey State Time Trial Championship, a 25.2 mile race over a slightly rolling (and pretty steep in a few spots) course. This is a different course than last year. It uses most of the same roads as the Blueberry TT from last year (which I won).
The weird thing about today's race is the categories are not based on actual license category. Instead, they are based solely on age in 5-year groups except for the people who don't live in New Jersey, who are all lumped together into one category. For the series, the organizers group the times by category and figure our placings among our own group.
I didn't have high hopes for this morning. I really have not been training for this length of race. My next longest race is 11 miles, which is less than half of this course. I have, however, been training like a lunatic this last month. I got in 4 weeks of solid training and took the last week really easy. I was hoping to average of 250 watts, but I was expecting to see something in the 246-249 range. Assuming the winds were not too bad, that should be around an average of 25 mph.
It was a great race morning: a little humid but in the lower 60's and winds only at about 5 to 10 mph.
Like other TTs of this length, I broke it mentally into quarters and set my computer to reset every 6.25 miles, helping me to keep an eye on my average power and know where I am in each quarter.
I did the first quarter just about right on target: 251 watts and 25.1 mph. I felt pretty good and knew the next quarter was a bit uphill and into the winds, so I picked it up a little. The second quarter was awesome, 264 watts and 24.6 mph.
I had a terrible turnaround. The road was a bit narrow and I came into it too fast. I slowed down to almost 10 mph and forgot to downshift, so I really had to fight to get back up to speed.
The third quarter was slightly downhill with a tailwind and I was flying, doing 257 watts and 25.9 mph. On the third quarter, I passed a rider who I wasn't expecting to even see during the race. I saw Anthony soft-pedaling as I flew past him. I guessed he had a flat tire. I was a bit disappointed; that's not how I want to beat him.
The fourth quarter, I poured on everything I had left. I was a little surprised at how steep the couple climbs in this section were, with one of them slowing me to 17 mph. Still, for the quarter I averaged 261 watts and 24.8 mph. I could see another rider up on the horizon but just could not bring him back.
I hit the finish line going full speed and saw my time: 1:00:29. I was a little disappointed that I was over an hour but was pretty happy overall. I hit my speed target and exceeded my power target by quite a bit. In fact, I was only 1 watt short of my all time best of 260 watts from last summer. I was absolutely stunned.
What's more, I was actually a little surprised at how good I felt. I think in hindsight, I could have gone a little harder since I was able to pick up the power quite a bit in the last few miles. My heart rate tells the story: I only averaged 160 bpm. I should have been more in the 163-165 range. I played it a little too safe today.
I finished 9th out of the Out of State category but, more importantly, I think I finished 3rd out of the 4/5 group.
So, what does this mean for the TT series results? Assuming that I'm right about being 3rd (I won't know for sure for a few days), I have a very slim lead in the series. I need to beat Anthony in at least 2 of the remaining 3 races to keep that lead. That's a pretty tall order, but I now have the advantage of starting behind him and can use that to help keep him in sight on the very straight courses coming up.
What I did right:
Improved my training
Got lots of rest
Warmed up well
Paced it very well
What could have been better:
Picking my target power more accurately
My turnaround
Might have been able to go a little harder
The Numbers:
Distance: 25.2 miles
Time: 1:00:29
Speed: 25.0 mph
Avg Power: 259 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 160 bpm
The weird thing about today's race is the categories are not based on actual license category. Instead, they are based solely on age in 5-year groups except for the people who don't live in New Jersey, who are all lumped together into one category. For the series, the organizers group the times by category and figure our placings among our own group.
I didn't have high hopes for this morning. I really have not been training for this length of race. My next longest race is 11 miles, which is less than half of this course. I have, however, been training like a lunatic this last month. I got in 4 weeks of solid training and took the last week really easy. I was hoping to average of 250 watts, but I was expecting to see something in the 246-249 range. Assuming the winds were not too bad, that should be around an average of 25 mph.
It was a great race morning: a little humid but in the lower 60's and winds only at about 5 to 10 mph.
Like other TTs of this length, I broke it mentally into quarters and set my computer to reset every 6.25 miles, helping me to keep an eye on my average power and know where I am in each quarter.
I did the first quarter just about right on target: 251 watts and 25.1 mph. I felt pretty good and knew the next quarter was a bit uphill and into the winds, so I picked it up a little. The second quarter was awesome, 264 watts and 24.6 mph.
I had a terrible turnaround. The road was a bit narrow and I came into it too fast. I slowed down to almost 10 mph and forgot to downshift, so I really had to fight to get back up to speed.
The third quarter was slightly downhill with a tailwind and I was flying, doing 257 watts and 25.9 mph. On the third quarter, I passed a rider who I wasn't expecting to even see during the race. I saw Anthony soft-pedaling as I flew past him. I guessed he had a flat tire. I was a bit disappointed; that's not how I want to beat him.
The fourth quarter, I poured on everything I had left. I was a little surprised at how steep the couple climbs in this section were, with one of them slowing me to 17 mph. Still, for the quarter I averaged 261 watts and 24.8 mph. I could see another rider up on the horizon but just could not bring him back.
I hit the finish line going full speed and saw my time: 1:00:29. I was a little disappointed that I was over an hour but was pretty happy overall. I hit my speed target and exceeded my power target by quite a bit. In fact, I was only 1 watt short of my all time best of 260 watts from last summer. I was absolutely stunned.
What's more, I was actually a little surprised at how good I felt. I think in hindsight, I could have gone a little harder since I was able to pick up the power quite a bit in the last few miles. My heart rate tells the story: I only averaged 160 bpm. I should have been more in the 163-165 range. I played it a little too safe today.
I finished 9th out of the Out of State category but, more importantly, I think I finished 3rd out of the 4/5 group.
So, what does this mean for the TT series results? Assuming that I'm right about being 3rd (I won't know for sure for a few days), I have a very slim lead in the series. I need to beat Anthony in at least 2 of the remaining 3 races to keep that lead. That's a pretty tall order, but I now have the advantage of starting behind him and can use that to help keep him in sight on the very straight courses coming up.
What I did right:
Improved my training
Got lots of rest
Warmed up well
Paced it very well
What could have been better:
Picking my target power more accurately
My turnaround
Might have been able to go a little harder
The Numbers:
Distance: 25.2 miles
Time: 1:00:29
Speed: 25.0 mph
Avg Power: 259 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 160 bpm
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Training, Training, and More Training
The last few weeks have been a nice break from racing. We went away for a weekend and got in some quality relaxation time and we got another long weekend for the 4th of July.
I've been under tremendous pressure at work lately so I've been stress eating a bit more. We're also in the middle of renovations at work and I don't have access to showers so I have not been riding at work. With those two complications, I have not been losing weight the way I wanted. Well, I have not lost any at all (but at least I have not gained any).
I've taken a slightly different approach to training this summer than last summer. Last summer, every time I successfully completed a workout, I would try to increase the power on the next one. That was not working this year so I tried going the other way: instead of increasing the power, I'm increasing either the duration or the number of repetitions. I'll increase an interval from 10 minutes to 12 minutes or do 4 the next time instead of 3.
It's hard to say if it's having any effect since I have not done any testing yet. If nothing else, I am at least able to finish the longer workouts (which are topping out around 5 hours now on the weekend).
It's been 3 weeks since my last race and I'm just starting to miss it... by the time my next race rolls around in 2 weeks, I should be really eager to race. Which is good. At 25 miles, it's by far the longest race of the year (with the next longest only 11.2 miles).
I've been under tremendous pressure at work lately so I've been stress eating a bit more. We're also in the middle of renovations at work and I don't have access to showers so I have not been riding at work. With those two complications, I have not been losing weight the way I wanted. Well, I have not lost any at all (but at least I have not gained any).
I've taken a slightly different approach to training this summer than last summer. Last summer, every time I successfully completed a workout, I would try to increase the power on the next one. That was not working this year so I tried going the other way: instead of increasing the power, I'm increasing either the duration or the number of repetitions. I'll increase an interval from 10 minutes to 12 minutes or do 4 the next time instead of 3.
It's hard to say if it's having any effect since I have not done any testing yet. If nothing else, I am at least able to finish the longer workouts (which are topping out around 5 hours now on the weekend).
It's been 3 weeks since my last race and I'm just starting to miss it... by the time my next race rolls around in 2 weeks, I should be really eager to race. Which is good. At 25 miles, it's by far the longest race of the year (with the next longest only 11.2 miles).
Saturday, June 14, 2014
It could have been worse
On Tuesday of this week, I was coughing so much and felt so miserable that I barely got off the couch. Wednesday was not much better. After that, I was not expecting much from today's race, but I couldn't just skip the race because I need the points in the series.
I felt a little better yesterday and a little better than that today. I was still coughing and sneezing a little, but I was able to warm up without too many problems.
The course was 10 miles going only one way and it was mostly flat with just a couple of minor rises. The entire race can be done on the shoulder of the road, which is almost big enough to be another lane. The day was nice, with temperatures in the low 60's and a slight tailwind.
The first 7 miles went pretty well. I couldn't hit the power that I could if I wasn't sick, but I was not off by much, running maybe about 15 watts low. Then it happened.
I was just about to catch another rider, so I glanced over my shoulder to make sure a car was not coming up behind me before I moved into the traffic lane to pass. BAM!!! I nailed a pothole at almost 30 mph.
The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't steer. One aero bar had pulled almost straight vertical and I couldn't even really hold it without hitting my knee into my elbow as I pedaled. The other aero bar pad rotated downward, effectively moving one elbow down an inch and the other 3 inches.This was going to be difficult
My bigger worry was that I had a flat tire. I kept pedaling, trying to tell if either tire was flat. Once I was sure they weren't, I focused on finishing. After trying a bunch of options, I settled into one arm on the aero bar that was still in the same position but had the pad lower and put my other hand on the basebar. While I'm sure it was the best of my options, with my upper body slightly twisted and a bit lower than I was used to (which was already about as aggressive as I could handle), I was really struggling to keep my power up. Looking at the download afterwards, I averaged about 20 watts lower after I hit the hole (dropping from 277 watts to 258 watts)
I dug deep and pushed as hard as I could manage. I knew that I only had about 7 minutes or so to finish.
I hit the finish line without any other problems but I was completely wiped out and just aching all over in a time of 21:54. Not bad since I was aiming for 22:10.
Even though I was ahead of my goal, I only finished 5th place, about 20 seconds behind the winner.
I'm guessing that I lost 5 to 10 seconds to my little aero bar incident. At absolute best, it would have moved me into 3rd (I was 8 second behind Anthony, who finished 3rd). There was some serious new competition today.
After today, I'm solidly in second place in the series. In order to lose second place, I'd have to finish out of the points (or not show up) for two races of the remaining four races. In order to win the series, I need to win all four of those races... I'm not giving up but that's a lot to ask.
The next race is a 40K (25 miles) in 5 weeks. I've got some training time! :-)
What I did right:
Rested all week while sick
Didn't panic after I hit the pothole
Kept my pace up afterward
What could have been better:
Not hit the damned pothole!
The Numbers:
Distance: 9.95 miles
Time: 21:54
Speed: 27.4 mph (first time I've ever been over 27 mph in a race)
Avg Power: 273 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 168 bpm
I felt a little better yesterday and a little better than that today. I was still coughing and sneezing a little, but I was able to warm up without too many problems.
The course was 10 miles going only one way and it was mostly flat with just a couple of minor rises. The entire race can be done on the shoulder of the road, which is almost big enough to be another lane. The day was nice, with temperatures in the low 60's and a slight tailwind.
The first 7 miles went pretty well. I couldn't hit the power that I could if I wasn't sick, but I was not off by much, running maybe about 15 watts low. Then it happened.
I was just about to catch another rider, so I glanced over my shoulder to make sure a car was not coming up behind me before I moved into the traffic lane to pass. BAM!!! I nailed a pothole at almost 30 mph.
The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't steer. One aero bar had pulled almost straight vertical and I couldn't even really hold it without hitting my knee into my elbow as I pedaled. The other aero bar pad rotated downward, effectively moving one elbow down an inch and the other 3 inches.This was going to be difficult
My bigger worry was that I had a flat tire. I kept pedaling, trying to tell if either tire was flat. Once I was sure they weren't, I focused on finishing. After trying a bunch of options, I settled into one arm on the aero bar that was still in the same position but had the pad lower and put my other hand on the basebar. While I'm sure it was the best of my options, with my upper body slightly twisted and a bit lower than I was used to (which was already about as aggressive as I could handle), I was really struggling to keep my power up. Looking at the download afterwards, I averaged about 20 watts lower after I hit the hole (dropping from 277 watts to 258 watts)
I dug deep and pushed as hard as I could manage. I knew that I only had about 7 minutes or so to finish.
I hit the finish line without any other problems but I was completely wiped out and just aching all over in a time of 21:54. Not bad since I was aiming for 22:10.
Even though I was ahead of my goal, I only finished 5th place, about 20 seconds behind the winner.
I'm guessing that I lost 5 to 10 seconds to my little aero bar incident. At absolute best, it would have moved me into 3rd (I was 8 second behind Anthony, who finished 3rd). There was some serious new competition today.
After today, I'm solidly in second place in the series. In order to lose second place, I'd have to finish out of the points (or not show up) for two races of the remaining four races. In order to win the series, I need to win all four of those races... I'm not giving up but that's a lot to ask.
The next race is a 40K (25 miles) in 5 weeks. I've got some training time! :-)
What I did right:
Rested all week while sick
Didn't panic after I hit the pothole
Kept my pace up afterward
What could have been better:
Not hit the damned pothole!
The Numbers:
Distance: 9.95 miles
Time: 21:54
Speed: 27.4 mph (first time I've ever been over 27 mph in a race)
Avg Power: 273 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 168 bpm
Monday, May 26, 2014
Pushing the limit
With no race and a three-day weekend, my coach decided to have me do something a little radical this weekend.
I've mentioned that my foundation training was not what I had hoped for and that I've been seeing a drop in many indicators of fitness throughout the spring racing season. The common ingredient there is a lack of aerobic fitness.
His goal was to completely tax my aerobic energy systems beyond anything I've ever experienced trying to build them back up.
Saturday was the longest day I've ever spent on the bike, both in terms of time and in distance: 103 miles in 5 hours, 20 minutes. It was not just several hours at a steady pace. I did two intervals of an hour each at a high tempo pace. I did 6 one-minute sprints uphill. And I did 3 five-minute VO2 efforts. By the end, I was totally cooked.
Sunday was another pretty long day: 3 hours, 40 minutes and 65 miles. It was at an easy pace with no major efforts. It was just a long endurace ride.
Monday (today) was back to the higher intensity. It was a two hour ride with 4 threshold intervals of 10 minutes each. With the focused intervals, Monday is on the trainer, even though it's a nice day out. To be honest, it took all I had to do these. I was so tired and my legs were so sore, I just wanted to take the day off and lay around. But I dug in and did it... and now I'm glad it's over!
It was a grand total of 11 hours of riding in 3 days. I average 11 hours on a good WEEK of training. Doing that much in 3 days really pushed me to my limits. It also gave new meaning to the expression "long weekend".
Whether this weekend's plan turns out to be insanity or brilliance remains to be seen :-)
I've mentioned that my foundation training was not what I had hoped for and that I've been seeing a drop in many indicators of fitness throughout the spring racing season. The common ingredient there is a lack of aerobic fitness.
His goal was to completely tax my aerobic energy systems beyond anything I've ever experienced trying to build them back up.
Saturday was the longest day I've ever spent on the bike, both in terms of time and in distance: 103 miles in 5 hours, 20 minutes. It was not just several hours at a steady pace. I did two intervals of an hour each at a high tempo pace. I did 6 one-minute sprints uphill. And I did 3 five-minute VO2 efforts. By the end, I was totally cooked.
Sunday was another pretty long day: 3 hours, 40 minutes and 65 miles. It was at an easy pace with no major efforts. It was just a long endurace ride.
Monday (today) was back to the higher intensity. It was a two hour ride with 4 threshold intervals of 10 minutes each. With the focused intervals, Monday is on the trainer, even though it's a nice day out. To be honest, it took all I had to do these. I was so tired and my legs were so sore, I just wanted to take the day off and lay around. But I dug in and did it... and now I'm glad it's over!
It was a grand total of 11 hours of riding in 3 days. I average 11 hours on a good WEEK of training. Doing that much in 3 days really pushed me to my limits. It also gave new meaning to the expression "long weekend".
Whether this weekend's plan turns out to be insanity or brilliance remains to be seen :-)
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Perfect Second
Today is one of those days when everything went right. I am happy with my training the last few weeks. I'm well rested, well fed, and my allergies are no longer acting up. I got in a good recon of the course, a good pacing plan, a good night's sleep, and a good warmup.
As I usually do for longer courses, I divided the course into quarters. The first quarter was all flat or uphill, including a very sharp turn. The middle two quarters were rolling hills, some of them pretty steep. The last quarter had a steep descent into a sharp turn, a steep climb right after the turn, and then flat or downhill for a couple miles (with a huge crater to avoid in the road) before the final climb to the finish. I hit the finish line thinking I'd done everything right and might have won... then I realized that Anthony was just behind me at the finish. He started 30 seconds behind me.
Some days the competition is just better.
The funny thing is, I'm not upset. You've all seen my "second per mile rule." If the difference between two riders is a second or more per mile, then the difference was probably fitness, not just some mistake on the course. Over an 11.2 mile course, Anthony beat me by 2.5 seconds per mile today.
It bugged me a lot more last time when he beat me by 4 seconds over 9.5 miles.
I hit my speed and power targets. It wasn't enough to win today but I'm really proud of the result.
I get two more weeks of training before my next race: the Philly TT. It's one of my favorite events and this one is not part of the series, so it will be against a totally different set of competitors.
What I did right:
Planning and execution
What could have been better:
Nothing that I could fix today
The Numbers:
Distance: 11.2 miles
Time: 27:15
Speed: 24.7 mph
Avg Power: 263 watts (283 normalized)
Avg Heart Rate: 165 bpm
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Breather
After six weeks in a row of racing, I'm happy to say that there were no races this weekend.
There was supposed to be an 18 mile TT on a flat course today, but it was canceled due to major construction on the road. I'm not complaining.
I really love racing. I love the excitement of the start line, the pressure to do my best during the race, those moment of suspense afterward waiting to find out how I did, and the great competition that Anthony and I have going on this year... but I really needed the break. Doing it every weekend is a little more than I would prefer. It feels like I have not had a day off since March.
For the last six weeks, my life has been a frenzy of training, resting, equipment maintenance, packing, traveling, and unpacking. It's really nice to have a weekend to stay home and not worry about any of that. In fact, both days of the weekend were unstructured training and I just rode for fun.
For the next six weeks, I have a race every other weekend and then get a month of no races at all. I'm kind of excited since I knew that I had some weaknesses in my training at the start of the season and I've been dying to work on them. With a little more time between races, I have time to actually train instead of just maintaining where I was.
With the series already half over, I'm in second place at 85 points. Anthony is in the lead with 91 points. What makes it more interesting is that the series will drop our lowest scores at the end of the year. Both of our lowest scores were at the High Point Hill Climb, where he got 6 points and I got 0. Dropping those scores ties us both at 85 points! He still has the advantage and gets to start behind me. I'll really need to work to take that way. We both really want to win the series and neither of us is giving an inch. I hope the second half is just as fun as the first!
There was supposed to be an 18 mile TT on a flat course today, but it was canceled due to major construction on the road. I'm not complaining.
I really love racing. I love the excitement of the start line, the pressure to do my best during the race, those moment of suspense afterward waiting to find out how I did, and the great competition that Anthony and I have going on this year... but I really needed the break. Doing it every weekend is a little more than I would prefer. It feels like I have not had a day off since March.
For the last six weeks, my life has been a frenzy of training, resting, equipment maintenance, packing, traveling, and unpacking. It's really nice to have a weekend to stay home and not worry about any of that. In fact, both days of the weekend were unstructured training and I just rode for fun.
For the next six weeks, I have a race every other weekend and then get a month of no races at all. I'm kind of excited since I knew that I had some weaknesses in my training at the start of the season and I've been dying to work on them. With a little more time between races, I have time to actually train instead of just maintaining where I was.
With the series already half over, I'm in second place at 85 points. Anthony is in the lead with 91 points. What makes it more interesting is that the series will drop our lowest scores at the end of the year. Both of our lowest scores were at the High Point Hill Climb, where he got 6 points and I got 0. Dropping those scores ties us both at 85 points! He still has the advantage and gets to start behind me. I'll really need to work to take that way. We both really want to win the series and neither of us is giving an inch. I hope the second half is just as fun as the first!
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Certainly Better Than Last Week
After last week, almost anything is an improvement... but today was still not quite what I wanted.
Last year I obsessed over this course to the point that it's still seared into my memory. I knew where and how long the climbs were, how to take the turns, and when I had to anticipate major shifts. I drove the course last night just to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. The only new thing was a short area of really messed up pavement. The rough winter strikes again.
I was confident in my strategy going in, but I knew the results would depend on my lungs more than anything.
Last week I had a terrible day on the bike. After coughing up a lung that whole day and a lot this week, I went to the doctor and found that my seasonal allergies were much worse this year. He put me on a new medication, which is slowly helping but I still can't breathe quite normally.
On Sunday I still felt awful and couldn't even finish my planned workout. I took this as an easy week so my body could start to piece itself back together. That helped a lot, but I still didn't feel 100% this morning and it showed in my performance today.
I think the race went reasonably well, with no major mistakes and no real issues. My start was strong. I held my position pretty well. I kept the power on the downhills and paced the climbs the way I wanted. I just missed all my power and time targets by a little bit.
In comparison to last year, I averaged 20 watts less (15 watts less normalized). Even though my position was much better and I have better equipment than last year, I was still 11 seconds slower. The download showed that I was pretty consistently putting out less power over the whole course. I didn't lose it in any one stretch of road.
That's even more frustrating since Anthony beat me by 4 seconds. Even more surprising, someone else finished in between us, 2 seconds behind him. I finished in 3rd place.
That puts me second in the series by 6 points. It will take some work if I want to win. Even though I'm not in the lead anymore, I'm having a lot of fun and I'm not giving up!
I guess it's finally time to come clean. I've mentioned it a few times but it's time to say it plainly: my performance numbers have not been what they were last year. In general, I'm running 10 to 15 watts lower in almost every race and workout. I was running behind at the start of racing season and I've been just barely hanging on to the fitness I had then.
I realized a few mistakes that I'd made in planning my training right before the start of the season. I think now I'm paying the price for not riding outside as much, especially not doing any climbing. Last year I was doing a lot of aggressive climbing and this year I'm not climbing at all.
I'm still having a great year and cannot complain too much. I've already had 4 podium finishes, including 2 wins, out of 6 races. It's a year to be proud of, even if it's not quite the performance that I wanted.
Six weeks of racing in a row was a big mental and physical strain. The next three races are every other week and I'm looking forward to having a little more breathing room between races.
What I did right:
Called the doctor when I didn't feel right (like most people, I can be stubborn about that)
Planned out the course and my pacing
Rested up this week
What could have been better:
Nothing that I could fix today
The Numbers:
Distance: 9.7 miles
Time: 23:43 (last year was 23:32)
Speed: 24.5 mph
Avg Power: 260 watts (290 normalized) (last year was 280 avg and 305 NP)
Avg Heart Rate: 164 bpm
Last year I obsessed over this course to the point that it's still seared into my memory. I knew where and how long the climbs were, how to take the turns, and when I had to anticipate major shifts. I drove the course last night just to make sure that I wasn't missing anything. The only new thing was a short area of really messed up pavement. The rough winter strikes again.
I was confident in my strategy going in, but I knew the results would depend on my lungs more than anything.
Last week I had a terrible day on the bike. After coughing up a lung that whole day and a lot this week, I went to the doctor and found that my seasonal allergies were much worse this year. He put me on a new medication, which is slowly helping but I still can't breathe quite normally.
On Sunday I still felt awful and couldn't even finish my planned workout. I took this as an easy week so my body could start to piece itself back together. That helped a lot, but I still didn't feel 100% this morning and it showed in my performance today.
I think the race went reasonably well, with no major mistakes and no real issues. My start was strong. I held my position pretty well. I kept the power on the downhills and paced the climbs the way I wanted. I just missed all my power and time targets by a little bit.
In comparison to last year, I averaged 20 watts less (15 watts less normalized). Even though my position was much better and I have better equipment than last year, I was still 11 seconds slower. The download showed that I was pretty consistently putting out less power over the whole course. I didn't lose it in any one stretch of road.
That's even more frustrating since Anthony beat me by 4 seconds. Even more surprising, someone else finished in between us, 2 seconds behind him. I finished in 3rd place.
That puts me second in the series by 6 points. It will take some work if I want to win. Even though I'm not in the lead anymore, I'm having a lot of fun and I'm not giving up!
I guess it's finally time to come clean. I've mentioned it a few times but it's time to say it plainly: my performance numbers have not been what they were last year. In general, I'm running 10 to 15 watts lower in almost every race and workout. I was running behind at the start of racing season and I've been just barely hanging on to the fitness I had then.
I realized a few mistakes that I'd made in planning my training right before the start of the season. I think now I'm paying the price for not riding outside as much, especially not doing any climbing. Last year I was doing a lot of aggressive climbing and this year I'm not climbing at all.
I'm still having a great year and cannot complain too much. I've already had 4 podium finishes, including 2 wins, out of 6 races. It's a year to be proud of, even if it's not quite the performance that I wanted.
Six weeks of racing in a row was a big mental and physical strain. The next three races are every other week and I'm looking forward to having a little more breathing room between races.
What I did right:
Called the doctor when I didn't feel right (like most people, I can be stubborn about that)
Planned out the course and my pacing
Rested up this week
What could have been better:
Nothing that I could fix today
The Numbers:
Distance: 9.7 miles
Time: 23:43 (last year was 23:32)
Speed: 24.5 mph
Avg Power: 260 watts (290 normalized) (last year was 280 avg and 305 NP)
Avg Heart Rate: 164 bpm
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Not One of my Better Days
This weekend was the High Point Hill Climb, a 5.5 mile uphill time trial with about 1250 feet of climbing. It had a couple of short downhill sections and it had a couple of steep 20%+ sections.
I knew that I would have some problems with this race on Tuesday. I got out for a decent climbing ride for the first time all year and I just had no power on the climbs. I suspect that the problem is that I've been riding almost entirely on my TT bike since January. I might get an hour or so each week on the road bike, but that's about it. In years past, I've worried about adapting to the TT bike so that I can put out enough power on it. It looks like this year I've managed to reverse that and have now managed to lose power on the road bike since I'm just not used to it.
As far as the race day itself goes, I can't say that I messed anything up. We got there early, I got in a good warmup, and I paced the course well.
Knowing that you can (or at least, should be able to) maintain a higher power on long climbs than you can on a similar flat road, I was aiming for 285 to 290 watts. I was aiming for a time of around 25:30.
I reached the top of the first segment and could barely hold onto 280 watts. I was 20 seconds behind my pacing schedule already. There was a short downhill and then back to the grind.
The top of the second segment, I was barely able to maintain 275 watts and I was now over a minute behind schedule. Oh, this was bad... I settled in around 270 watts, which I was more or less able to maintain the rest of the way.
When I turned into the park, it just got worse. I went up the short, steep climbs at 400 watts, but it was all I had, and I could barely push over the top of them. I had little left to put anything into the downhills.
I hit the finish line totally spent, just a shade over two minutes behind my goal time. I was dreading seeing the results.
Perhaps the biggest damage of the day was to my series results. I finished in 18th place, outside of the points (which are only awarded to 15th place or better). Anthony had a great day and got 6 points, putting him back in the lead by one point. That puts the pressure on for me next week since he gets to start behind me again. If nothing else, we're keeping the drama high for the series!
Nick had a great day, taking a minute off his time last year. I always knew he'd beat me one day, I just didn't expect it to be today.
I also heard that the course record was broken by one of the 1/2/3 riders.
At least someone had a good day :-)
What I did right:
Got there early
Planned out my pacing for the sections of the terrain
Didn't panic when things weren't going well
What could have been better:
Spend more time on the road bike!
I should have rested more. Since I was not expecting great results, I trained right up to Thursday (with an 11 hour week)
The Numbers:
Distance: 5.5 miles
Time: 27:31
Speed: 12.0 mph
Avg Power: 271 watts
Avg Heart Rate:168 bpm
Saturday, April 19, 2014
In an Instant
The short story is that I won for the second week in a row and I'm now in the lead for the TT series. I'm very happy that even though each week the race has gotten just a tiny bit longer (growing from 7 miles to 10 miles), my average speed has gone up every week (going from 25.4 mph to 26.2 mph).
The bigger story was what happened right behind me in 2nd through 4th place. People talk about time trials being very close and every second counts. You have to go as hard as you can from the start to the finish and pace it perfectly in the middle.
The times for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place this week:
23:15.65
23:16.13
23:16.94
That's 3 people finishing in 1.29 seconds (probably less time than it took to read that sentence).
An extra half watt through the whole race, a slightly smoother turnaround, a slightly faster start, taking just a slightly straighter line around a pothole, getting back up to speed just an instant earlier after the turnaround... there's almost an endless list of ways that someone could have made up that difference.
It's the kind of things that can drive you nuts when it's you. These are the kinds of things that I look for each week in this blog, trying to track what things I did right and what I could have done better. Believe me, it's really hard to do a time trial without any mistakes. There's a lot to pay attention to and you have to do it all while pushing as hard as you can (which of course, takes some knowledge of your own abilities and limits going into the race).
Nick, Glen, and Anthony all deserve kudos for a blazing fast race.
Next week everything changes. The High Point Hill Climb is 5.5 miles with a total of 1200 feet of climbing. It claims an average of 4% grade but that's a lie since there are a couple of short descents. It's really more like 5 or 6% average with a couple of places near 20%.
I have no delusions that I'll win next week. I know a few guys with the same power output that I have but they are 20 to 30 pounds lighter, so they should beat me by a minute or more up a climb that steep and that long. All I can do is my best and try to earn a few more points for the series.
What I did right:
Planning the course
Pacing the course
Position
What could have been better:
I was way too worried about this race all week (I was really worried about my series score in this race)
Lost a few seconds taking the turn too tight (I almost hit a cone)
The Numbers:
Distance: 9.95 miles
Time: 22:51
Speed: 26.2 mph
Avg Power: 283 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 164 bpm
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Not Quite What I'd Expected
I've been beaten by the same rider the last two weeks, definitely telling me who the competition will be for the NJ TT series and, to be honest, getting me a little worried. If he beat me again this week, it would be three times in a row and make a really big point gap that I would have to make up in the coming races. I really needed to break the streak.
It's no secret that my training plan now is pretty intense. This week included back-to-back, high intensity days on Tuesday and Wednesday at a power output that is much higher than I'm used to. My legs were really tight and sore on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. By Thursday night, I was in a panic about my legs recovering in time for the race today.
On Friday, I did a good warmup ride, doing a couple of efforts at 90% of my target power for the race today. My legs felt awful. My panic was getting worse.By Friday night, they didn't feel any better
Warming up this morning, I was still not all there. My legs still felt tired and heavy and my heart and lungs were not responding quite right. On the plus side, it was cool out, but I was at least happy that it was not windy or raining.
I got to the start and just focused on doing the best I could.
The course was mostly flat but with a LOT of tight turns and curves. A few times I went into the turn at full speed and was leaned over as fas as I could without coming up out of the aero bars.
I hit the turnaround and I knew I was in trouble. My average power was only 265 watts, a full 15 watts down from my 280 watt target. My legs were just not putting out the force I needed.
To make it worse, my turnaround was awful. I came in way too fast and had to apply brakes in the turn. I was doing 12 mph when I came around the cone and started getting back up to speed. I looked up to see Anthony bearing down on me heading into the turnaround. He was a little closer than I wanted to see.
On the way back, I dug a lot deeper. My legs did not want to go at all, but I pushed with all I had, blazing through the turns as fast as I could, not wanting to let up the pressure for even a second in case my legs wouldn't pick back up again.
It worked. On the way back, I held the power around 285 watts... much better. With a mile to go, I picked up the pace just a bit more, holding it around 300 watts. I hit the finish line at 18:24, with an average of 273 watts for the day, a whopping 12 watts below target. I felt like I had given it all I had, but I was hoping just to be on the podium. I kind of wondered if I had lost the series today.
It turns out... I didn't.
I first suspected when Anthony and I were talking after the race and he thought he was around 18:40. I know how easy it is to be a little off on your time, so I tried not to get too excited. Sure enough, when we got the final results, I had won. Anthony was in second at 18:36 (12 seconds, the same margin that he had over me last week).
There are a lot of unknowns today. I don't know how I put out so much more power on the way back. I don't know how to put in the type of intensity I need without it impacting my race. There's a lot for me to think about this week.
Of course, we get to do it all again next week. The next one one is 10 miles, dead flat, almost completely straight, and a wide turnaround that barely requires you to slow down.
What I did right:
I noticed that I was overdoing it and focused on recovery
I contained my worry at the warmup and the start, focusing on doing what I could
I picked up the pace in the second half
I felt like my position was the best it's been yet this year
What could have been better:
My weird pacing problem on the way out
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.9 miles
Time: 18:24
Speed: 25.7 mph
Avg Power: 273 watts (285 target)
Avg Heart Rate: 162 bpm (168 target)
It's no secret that my training plan now is pretty intense. This week included back-to-back, high intensity days on Tuesday and Wednesday at a power output that is much higher than I'm used to. My legs were really tight and sore on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. By Thursday night, I was in a panic about my legs recovering in time for the race today.
On Friday, I did a good warmup ride, doing a couple of efforts at 90% of my target power for the race today. My legs felt awful. My panic was getting worse.By Friday night, they didn't feel any better
Warming up this morning, I was still not all there. My legs still felt tired and heavy and my heart and lungs were not responding quite right. On the plus side, it was cool out, but I was at least happy that it was not windy or raining.
I got to the start and just focused on doing the best I could.
The course was mostly flat but with a LOT of tight turns and curves. A few times I went into the turn at full speed and was leaned over as fas as I could without coming up out of the aero bars.
I hit the turnaround and I knew I was in trouble. My average power was only 265 watts, a full 15 watts down from my 280 watt target. My legs were just not putting out the force I needed.
To make it worse, my turnaround was awful. I came in way too fast and had to apply brakes in the turn. I was doing 12 mph when I came around the cone and started getting back up to speed. I looked up to see Anthony bearing down on me heading into the turnaround. He was a little closer than I wanted to see.
On the way back, I dug a lot deeper. My legs did not want to go at all, but I pushed with all I had, blazing through the turns as fast as I could, not wanting to let up the pressure for even a second in case my legs wouldn't pick back up again.
It worked. On the way back, I held the power around 285 watts... much better. With a mile to go, I picked up the pace just a bit more, holding it around 300 watts. I hit the finish line at 18:24, with an average of 273 watts for the day, a whopping 12 watts below target. I felt like I had given it all I had, but I was hoping just to be on the podium. I kind of wondered if I had lost the series today.
It turns out... I didn't.
I first suspected when Anthony and I were talking after the race and he thought he was around 18:40. I know how easy it is to be a little off on your time, so I tried not to get too excited. Sure enough, when we got the final results, I had won. Anthony was in second at 18:36 (12 seconds, the same margin that he had over me last week).
There are a lot of unknowns today. I don't know how I put out so much more power on the way back. I don't know how to put in the type of intensity I need without it impacting my race. There's a lot for me to think about this week.
Of course, we get to do it all again next week. The next one one is 10 miles, dead flat, almost completely straight, and a wide turnaround that barely requires you to slow down.
What I did right:
I noticed that I was overdoing it and focused on recovery
I contained my worry at the warmup and the start, focusing on doing what I could
I picked up the pace in the second half
I felt like my position was the best it's been yet this year
What could have been better:
My weird pacing problem on the way out
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.9 miles
Time: 18:24
Speed: 25.7 mph
Avg Power: 273 watts (285 target)
Avg Heart Rate: 162 bpm (168 target)
Sunday, April 6, 2014
As a Rule
The guys I ride with at work know that I have a couple of rules for riding in certain weather: I don't ride in the rain and I don't ride when it's below 42 degrees.
I've broken both those rules for races in the last 8 days. Last week it was pouring rain. This week is was 36 degrees. Sure, it was sunny, but the 18 mph wind gusts made it feel a lot colder.
Like last week, I got in a decent week of training with a sharp drop in training the last few days. I felt terrible on the bike both days, but had faith that I would be ready this morning... and I was. Warming up, I felt really good.
I planned on taking a risk with my pacing strategy. With the gusty winds on the way out, I planned to go full gas out to the turnaround and hope that I would have enough to work with the tail winds on the way back.
After beating me last week and getting ahead in the series standings, Anthony was starting in the spot 30 seconds behind me, so he had the advantage of being able to see where I was at all times. I was going to really have to do well to override that.
The start went well and I was right up to speed quickly. Unlike last week, I was paying attention to my position, trying to stay under the wind as much as I could and I kept my power right where I wanted it. Even with the headwind, I was seeing speeds in the 24 to 25 mph range.
I hit the turnaround at about 8:50 and an average of 298 watts. There was no way I could maintain that the whole way back and I knew it... right according to plan. I kept my power up until the last second and rolled smoothly through the turnaround. As I got back up to speed, I saw that Anthony was not far behind me, but I couldn't really judge how far.
The way back was WAY faster. As I had planned (hoped?), the tailwinds were really strong on the way back. I was pushing 27 to 28 mph at some points. I was really struggling to keep my power up, but I knew it would not be near my top end.
I hit the finish line with everything I had. Just in time... I could barely feel my fingers anymore! I looked a lot more determined in the finish line photos.
It turned out that Anthony beat me by about 12 seconds, like last week (all that work for the same results?!?!). If I'm going to win the series, I need to start beating him. At this point, I'm not quite sure how to pull that off.
That said, he was someone I raced all last year. If someone is going to beat me, I'm happy that it's someone I already know and respect. It was his first win and it's awesome to be able to congratulate a friend on a huge accomplishment like that.
What I Did Right:
Put faith in my training
Planing and executing my experimental pacing
Focused on my position
Kept the power up the whole time
What Could have been Better:
I think today went really well. I didn't make any obvious mistakes.
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.3 miles
Time: 17:11 (I did 17:32 last year)
Speed: 25.5 mph
Avg Wattage: 284 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 164 bpm
I've broken both those rules for races in the last 8 days. Last week it was pouring rain. This week is was 36 degrees. Sure, it was sunny, but the 18 mph wind gusts made it feel a lot colder.
Like last week, I got in a decent week of training with a sharp drop in training the last few days. I felt terrible on the bike both days, but had faith that I would be ready this morning... and I was. Warming up, I felt really good.
I planned on taking a risk with my pacing strategy. With the gusty winds on the way out, I planned to go full gas out to the turnaround and hope that I would have enough to work with the tail winds on the way back.
After beating me last week and getting ahead in the series standings, Anthony was starting in the spot 30 seconds behind me, so he had the advantage of being able to see where I was at all times. I was going to really have to do well to override that.
The start went well and I was right up to speed quickly. Unlike last week, I was paying attention to my position, trying to stay under the wind as much as I could and I kept my power right where I wanted it. Even with the headwind, I was seeing speeds in the 24 to 25 mph range.
I hit the turnaround at about 8:50 and an average of 298 watts. There was no way I could maintain that the whole way back and I knew it... right according to plan. I kept my power up until the last second and rolled smoothly through the turnaround. As I got back up to speed, I saw that Anthony was not far behind me, but I couldn't really judge how far.
The way back was WAY faster. As I had planned (hoped?), the tailwinds were really strong on the way back. I was pushing 27 to 28 mph at some points. I was really struggling to keep my power up, but I knew it would not be near my top end.
I hit the finish line with everything I had. Just in time... I could barely feel my fingers anymore! I looked a lot more determined in the finish line photos.
It turned out that Anthony beat me by about 12 seconds, like last week (all that work for the same results?!?!). If I'm going to win the series, I need to start beating him. At this point, I'm not quite sure how to pull that off.
That said, he was someone I raced all last year. If someone is going to beat me, I'm happy that it's someone I already know and respect. It was his first win and it's awesome to be able to congratulate a friend on a huge accomplishment like that.
What I Did Right:
Put faith in my training
Planing and executing my experimental pacing
Focused on my position
Kept the power up the whole time
What Could have been Better:
I think today went really well. I didn't make any obvious mistakes.
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.3 miles
Time: 17:11 (I did 17:32 last year)
Speed: 25.5 mph
Avg Wattage: 284 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 164 bpm
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Racing in the Rain
Last year, there were a few key races that I would have done rain or shine, but most races I didn't even sign up for until I saw the forecast a couple of days in advance.
This year, going for the series, I don't have that option. Today's 45 degree, raining, and 15 mph winds conditions at the start were just something I had to cope with.
This was also my first week on the in-season training plan. It was so strange doing intervals right up until Wednesday and feeling terrible during yesterday's warmup... I was a little worried that I would feel that way again today.
The course was 7 miles, almost entirely flat, with just a very short roller hill that was less than 30 seconds long. The only real technical action anywhere was the turnaround.
It started raining almost as soon as we got there. Luckily I brought the tent to warm up under, letting me at least stay dry for a little while.
It was great running into a few QCW teammates and all the gang from last year. Rich moved up to the 45+ category but Nick and Anthony are back for another round. If I'd had to guess, I expected it would be the three of us fighting out the series.
Being the first race of the year, I was a little out of practice at held starts. I was a little shaky while I was being held but got it together with about 10 seconds to go.
Almost as soon as I started, it started to rain harder... great.
About a mile in, I was so glad that I had a thermal jersey, tights, and waterproof shoe covers on. Still, I could feel the cold water coming off my front wheel and hitting my shins. Within another mile, the water was running over the tops of my shoe covers and I could feel the water squishing in my shoes each pedal stroke. The head wind was not helping any.
I was a little worried about my pacing. As I've mentioned in the last few weeks, my power output has not been great. I was optimistically thinking I would average 280 watts. I hit the turnaround at 284, which had me wondering if I'd gone out too hard.
I took my time with the turnaround. I slowed down way too early to get a look at the turn and really should have kept the pressure up longer. I slowed down a lot, took the actual turn really slow, and then pushed gradually back up to speed. I probably lost several seconds, but I would rather lose a few seconds and stay upright than take the risk and crash. Not to mention, I hadn't done a turnaround at race speed since last August... come to mention it, I haven't ridden my TT bike outside since then either!
The way back was a LOT faster with the tailwind. I still felt good and pushed the power a little higher. I caught two people on the way back, which is always a confidence booster.
I hit the finish line, looked down at my computer, and was really happy. I'd averaged 287 watts, well over my goal. I was a little slower than last year, when I could do 293 watts for a race of this length, but it was much better than I thought I would do.
I was also happy with the time. I was hoping for around 17:00 (25 mph). I finished in 16:32 (25.5 mph).
When the results were posted, that was enough to get me 4th place. The top two guys were triathletes who probably would not be in most of the series race. Anthony got 3rd (at 16:20) and he is definitely competition for the series. He is going for the series the same as I am, so I will have to work to get ahead of him in the coming races. Nick was not far behind in 7th. Knowing those two are fitter than ever will be good motivation for the coming weeks!
Looking at the photos, I noticed two things that I need to work on:
What I did right:
Warmed up in the tent
Corrections in my training the last few weeks
Maintained my optimism despite the rain and cold
What could have been better:
My turnaround
My position on the bike
My focus on giving it everything I've got
The Numbers:
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 16:32
Speed: 25.5 mph
Avg Power:287 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 167 bpm
This year, going for the series, I don't have that option. Today's 45 degree, raining, and 15 mph winds conditions at the start were just something I had to cope with.
This was also my first week on the in-season training plan. It was so strange doing intervals right up until Wednesday and feeling terrible during yesterday's warmup... I was a little worried that I would feel that way again today.
The course was 7 miles, almost entirely flat, with just a very short roller hill that was less than 30 seconds long. The only real technical action anywhere was the turnaround.
It started raining almost as soon as we got there. Luckily I brought the tent to warm up under, letting me at least stay dry for a little while.
It was great running into a few QCW teammates and all the gang from last year. Rich moved up to the 45+ category but Nick and Anthony are back for another round. If I'd had to guess, I expected it would be the three of us fighting out the series.
Being the first race of the year, I was a little out of practice at held starts. I was a little shaky while I was being held but got it together with about 10 seconds to go.
Almost as soon as I started, it started to rain harder... great.
About a mile in, I was so glad that I had a thermal jersey, tights, and waterproof shoe covers on. Still, I could feel the cold water coming off my front wheel and hitting my shins. Within another mile, the water was running over the tops of my shoe covers and I could feel the water squishing in my shoes each pedal stroke. The head wind was not helping any.
I was a little worried about my pacing. As I've mentioned in the last few weeks, my power output has not been great. I was optimistically thinking I would average 280 watts. I hit the turnaround at 284, which had me wondering if I'd gone out too hard.
I took my time with the turnaround. I slowed down way too early to get a look at the turn and really should have kept the pressure up longer. I slowed down a lot, took the actual turn really slow, and then pushed gradually back up to speed. I probably lost several seconds, but I would rather lose a few seconds and stay upright than take the risk and crash. Not to mention, I hadn't done a turnaround at race speed since last August... come to mention it, I haven't ridden my TT bike outside since then either!
The way back was a LOT faster with the tailwind. I still felt good and pushed the power a little higher. I caught two people on the way back, which is always a confidence booster.
I hit the finish line, looked down at my computer, and was really happy. I'd averaged 287 watts, well over my goal. I was a little slower than last year, when I could do 293 watts for a race of this length, but it was much better than I thought I would do.
I was also happy with the time. I was hoping for around 17:00 (25 mph). I finished in 16:32 (25.5 mph).
When the results were posted, that was enough to get me 4th place. The top two guys were triathletes who probably would not be in most of the series race. Anthony got 3rd (at 16:20) and he is definitely competition for the series. He is going for the series the same as I am, so I will have to work to get ahead of him in the coming races. Nick was not far behind in 7th. Knowing those two are fitter than ever will be good motivation for the coming weeks!
Looking at the photos, I noticed two things that I need to work on:
- My head was up way too high, I was trying to hard to see ahead in the rain and it wrecked my aero position
- Anthony wanted it a lot more than I did. His look at the finish line said "I AM HERE TO WIN!!" The look on my face said "This sucks. Am I done yet?"
What I did right:
Warmed up in the tent
Corrections in my training the last few weeks
Maintained my optimism despite the rain and cold
What could have been better:
My turnaround
My position on the bike
My focus on giving it everything I've got
The Numbers:
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 16:32
Speed: 25.5 mph
Avg Power:287 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 167 bpm
Sunday, March 16, 2014
2 Weeks to Go
The racing season is just two weeks away and I'm doing my final preparations for it.
Looking at the first four races, all four are completely flat. The first three are short, around 17 to 18 minutes. The fourth is a little longer, probably around 30 to 32 minutes. Give the time of year and the proximity to the ocean, I expect all four to be cool and windy.
The courses for the second group of four are much harder. The first one is a 5.5 mile hill climb with grades up to 18%. The next one is a technical 9.9 mile course with steeply rolling hills. After that is a17.8 mile course that is completely flat and straight, and just focusing to maintain speed is the challenge. Wrapping it up is another steeply rolling 11-mile course.
My fitness is coming along nicely. I've corrected the mistakes in my training that I mentioned last time, but I'm only beginning to see a change. It takes time to change performance!!
My weight is a little high. I'm currently 4 pounds over my target weight (currently 171, with a target of 167). My weight has been slowly drifting downward, at about a pound a month instead of my targeted 3 pounds a month. Once the racing starts, I don't know that I'll be able to lose more weight since I'll be training very intensely and need to maintain the incoming fuel.
My motivation and confidence are not at their best. I missed the power targets in my last two tests. I'm struggling to finish long intervals more due to mental focus and drive issues than problems with my legs and lungs. I think the problem stems from the pressure of doing so well last season and feeling the need to live up to that.
My biggest concern is going to be continuing to improve my fitness once the season starts. With races on 8 weekends in a row, all of them part of the series, I need to race as well or better on the later races as I do on the early ones. While I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to make that training as efficient and effective as possible, the time to put it into practice is almost here.
Looking at the first four races, all four are completely flat. The first three are short, around 17 to 18 minutes. The fourth is a little longer, probably around 30 to 32 minutes. Give the time of year and the proximity to the ocean, I expect all four to be cool and windy.
The courses for the second group of four are much harder. The first one is a 5.5 mile hill climb with grades up to 18%. The next one is a technical 9.9 mile course with steeply rolling hills. After that is a17.8 mile course that is completely flat and straight, and just focusing to maintain speed is the challenge. Wrapping it up is another steeply rolling 11-mile course.
My fitness is coming along nicely. I've corrected the mistakes in my training that I mentioned last time, but I'm only beginning to see a change. It takes time to change performance!!
My weight is a little high. I'm currently 4 pounds over my target weight (currently 171, with a target of 167). My weight has been slowly drifting downward, at about a pound a month instead of my targeted 3 pounds a month. Once the racing starts, I don't know that I'll be able to lose more weight since I'll be training very intensely and need to maintain the incoming fuel.
My motivation and confidence are not at their best. I missed the power targets in my last two tests. I'm struggling to finish long intervals more due to mental focus and drive issues than problems with my legs and lungs. I think the problem stems from the pressure of doing so well last season and feeling the need to live up to that.
My biggest concern is going to be continuing to improve my fitness once the season starts. With races on 8 weekends in a row, all of them part of the series, I need to race as well or better on the later races as I do on the early ones. While I've spent a lot of time figuring out how to make that training as efficient and effective as possible, the time to put it into practice is almost here.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
4 Week Checkup
With 4 weeks to go until the first race of the year, I did a little bit of testing today.
I've got a strong foundation and I've been seeing for very good numbers for my 8:00 and 5:00 power, but I have not tested my 20-minute power in quite some time. It's probably a mistake to have gone so long without it since I have several races that will be right around 20 minutes in length.
To put it simply: the results were terrible.
I was shocked when I cracked about 14 minutes into the test at what I expected to be a power I should be able to maintain. Boy, was I wrong!
Looking back over my training data for the last few months, I can see exactly where I went wrong and I think I have some ideas about how to fix it. I'm just a little annoyed that I didn't notice these problems earlier. With all the training data that I have, the mistakes were really obvious in the charts and graphs, almost at first glance.
The big question is whether four weeks is long enough to correct the mistakes I've made.
I've got a strong foundation and I've been seeing for very good numbers for my 8:00 and 5:00 power, but I have not tested my 20-minute power in quite some time. It's probably a mistake to have gone so long without it since I have several races that will be right around 20 minutes in length.
To put it simply: the results were terrible.
I was shocked when I cracked about 14 minutes into the test at what I expected to be a power I should be able to maintain. Boy, was I wrong!
Looking back over my training data for the last few months, I can see exactly where I went wrong and I think I have some ideas about how to fix it. I'm just a little annoyed that I didn't notice these problems earlier. With all the training data that I have, the mistakes were really obvious in the charts and graphs, almost at first glance.
The big question is whether four weeks is long enough to correct the mistakes I've made.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
The Inner Limits
Over the last few weeks, I've been struggling with my motivation on the bike. I get on the trainer and... hmm... maybe that's the problem.
This winter has been so snowy and cold that I haven't been able to get outside much. In fact, I've ridden a total of 100 miles outdoors in the last 3 months (not even twice each month). Meanwhile, I've been riding 8 to 10 hours a week on the trainer.
By comparison, last year I was riding about the same number of hours each week but was getting outside at least once every other week or so. By this time, I had ridden almost 300 miles outdoors.
I'm definitely fit, exceeding the numbers from this time last year. I'm just having a hard time getting on the trainer for long enough to keep it going.
Making it even harder, I've been taking more risks in training. Last year, I gradually increased my intensity over the winter, increasing my targets just a couple of watts per week. As a result, I was able to hit my targets every workout all winter long. This year, I occasionally try to go a little higher, maybe 10 or 15 watts higher than I know that I can, intentionally going too hard to see how long I can hold onto it.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't, leaving me gasping for air and feeling a strong sense of failure. The times when I succeed, it feels amazing. The times I don't, it can mess with me for a few days.
Hopefully it will all pay off when racing season starts in 7 weeks!!
This winter has been so snowy and cold that I haven't been able to get outside much. In fact, I've ridden a total of 100 miles outdoors in the last 3 months (not even twice each month). Meanwhile, I've been riding 8 to 10 hours a week on the trainer.
By comparison, last year I was riding about the same number of hours each week but was getting outside at least once every other week or so. By this time, I had ridden almost 300 miles outdoors.
I'm definitely fit, exceeding the numbers from this time last year. I'm just having a hard time getting on the trainer for long enough to keep it going.
Making it even harder, I've been taking more risks in training. Last year, I gradually increased my intensity over the winter, increasing my targets just a couple of watts per week. As a result, I was able to hit my targets every workout all winter long. This year, I occasionally try to go a little higher, maybe 10 or 15 watts higher than I know that I can, intentionally going too hard to see how long I can hold onto it.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't, leaving me gasping for air and feeling a strong sense of failure. The times when I succeed, it feels amazing. The times I don't, it can mess with me for a few days.
Hopefully it will all pay off when racing season starts in 7 weeks!!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Patterns
OK, I have to correct myself.
This racing season is not 9 weeks in a row. It goes something like this:
8 weekends in a row of races (1 race each weekend)
2 weekends off
2 weekends of races (10 races in 12 weekends)
4 weekends off (break time to recharge and build a bit of fitness)
2 weekends of races
1 weekend off
2 weekends of races (4 races in 5 weekends)
It won't be an easy summer!
This racing season is not 9 weeks in a row. It goes something like this:
8 weekends in a row of races (1 race each weekend)
2 weekends off
2 weekends of races (10 races in 12 weekends)
4 weekends off (break time to recharge and build a bit of fitness)
2 weekends of races
1 weekend off
2 weekends of races (4 races in 5 weekends)
It won't be an easy summer!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
The Main Ingredient
Last year at this time, my training outlook was very different.
My weight was on a long slide down, having lost about 25 pounds from where I started. My power numbers were constantly climbing. My major goal for the year was not until July, with a backup plan for August. Most of the other races that I was planning were just tune ups to help me reach the one major goal.I was trying some new ideas in planning my training and really know if they would work.
It's hard to believe that starting point led to the most successful racing year I've ever had. It was by far my best year on the bike. I had two very good years on skates, finishing on the podium several times in 2001 and 2002, but those were a long time ago. I switched to cycling in 2004 and my winning results pretty disappeared until last year. The one thing that 2013 had in common with those years was a massive increase in training volume. In 2001 and 2002, I trained 425 hours each year. In 2013, I trained 525 hours. Not only did I train a lot, I put a lot of intensity into that training and it was all aimed at a concrete goal.
For comparison, in 2011 (another year when I raced a lot but had no real results), I trained 430 hours but most "just rode around", doing lots of mileage but not getting much out of it. I had no structure and very little intensity in my training. My goals shifted almost every week, especially when I switched from crits back to TTs (again).
I spent several years doing the West River Time Trial in Philly. I loved doing that event, but I had no idea what I was doing with regards to training for it. My training volume for many of those years was in the 250 to 325 hour range but, again, I was riding a lot with little intensity or structure, even though I had a very clear goal (which was to get under 20 minutes in the TT)
I was pretty sure that it took all 3 ingredients, solid goals, a large volume of training, and focused intensity to make a season successful. I've been racing in some form or another since 1995 and only three years had all three ingredients.
For me, the intensity is the ones that's hardest to keep in the mix. It's so easy to back off on a day that's supposed to be hard and say "it's just for today." It's really easy to just do a long easy ride and say "it's building foundation!!"
But it's all an excuse. Without the intensity, I can be fit (very fit, even) but I won't be race-ready. No matter how much easy riding I do, I need that harder tempo, threshold, and VO2 work to get as good as I want to be.
I have to remind myself of that almost everyday.
My weight was on a long slide down, having lost about 25 pounds from where I started. My power numbers were constantly climbing. My major goal for the year was not until July, with a backup plan for August. Most of the other races that I was planning were just tune ups to help me reach the one major goal.I was trying some new ideas in planning my training and really know if they would work.
It's hard to believe that starting point led to the most successful racing year I've ever had. It was by far my best year on the bike. I had two very good years on skates, finishing on the podium several times in 2001 and 2002, but those were a long time ago. I switched to cycling in 2004 and my winning results pretty disappeared until last year. The one thing that 2013 had in common with those years was a massive increase in training volume. In 2001 and 2002, I trained 425 hours each year. In 2013, I trained 525 hours. Not only did I train a lot, I put a lot of intensity into that training and it was all aimed at a concrete goal.
For comparison, in 2011 (another year when I raced a lot but had no real results), I trained 430 hours but most "just rode around", doing lots of mileage but not getting much out of it. I had no structure and very little intensity in my training. My goals shifted almost every week, especially when I switched from crits back to TTs (again).
I spent several years doing the West River Time Trial in Philly. I loved doing that event, but I had no idea what I was doing with regards to training for it. My training volume for many of those years was in the 250 to 325 hour range but, again, I was riding a lot with little intensity or structure, even though I had a very clear goal (which was to get under 20 minutes in the TT)
I was pretty sure that it took all 3 ingredients, solid goals, a large volume of training, and focused intensity to make a season successful. I've been racing in some form or another since 1995 and only three years had all three ingredients.
For me, the intensity is the ones that's hardest to keep in the mix. It's so easy to back off on a day that's supposed to be hard and say "it's just for today." It's really easy to just do a long easy ride and say "it's building foundation!!"
But it's all an excuse. Without the intensity, I can be fit (very fit, even) but I won't be race-ready. No matter how much easy riding I do, I need that harder tempo, threshold, and VO2 work to get as good as I want to be.
I have to remind myself of that almost everyday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
