After the move in April I got back on the bike a little more regularly, starting over at about 6 hours a week and with no real structure. I was just trying to get my body used to being on the bike again. When I went riding with my friends, they would drop me on almost any climb. My natural gifts in sprinting helped me a little, but I was suffering a lot.
It's been 12 weeks since then and I've come a long way. I've gradually built up to about 10 hours a week of riding and added in little bits of structre. I've gained back a fair amount of fitness, but I'm nowhere near where I was.
According to my most recent test, I increased my 20-minute power from 225 to 256 watts. I managed to level off my weight at 179 pounds, or 1.43 watts/pound (3.14 w/kg). For comparison, when I'm racing I get in closer to 12 hours a week and my best 20-minute power test from 2013 was 309 watts at 164 pounds, or 1.88 watts/pound (4.13 w/kg).
Still, it's a great foundation for me to start structured training again.
This week was my first week back and it was rough. After today's ride, I'll have just over 10 hours of riding in, which is always a good week. I've also managed to lose a pound, down to 178.
On top of all this, the training software I use, TrainingPeaks WKO, just came out with a new version this week and it has all kinds of new ways of analyzing and planning my training. I'm looking forward to see what I can do with it.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Friday, July 3, 2015
20 Years?!?
20 years ago, in June 1995, I entered my first race ever. It was a skating race on Presque Isle State Park back in Erie. I skated there quite a bit but this was going to be on the roads, not the trail, so I was excited. It was a 5.6 mile time trial. I thought I was pretty fast at the time and wanted to see how I could do. I had no idea the larger world I was entering.
It was there that I met several skaters from Cleveland, who taught me that (1) I was not fast at all and (2) there were races all over the place if I was willing to drive a bit.
It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since I started racing. That was my only race that year but in 1996, I did 9 different races. I still wasn't very fast but I was improving. I also broke my hand in a crash that year and did 3 races with a cast on my arm.
A few other highlights:
1999, I did 12 races, including two that I flew to: the amazing Northshore Inline Marathon in Minnesota and the legendary Athens-to-Atlanta in Georgia.
2001, I started training with coach Josh Seldman. I won my first race and was on the podium in two others.
2004, a stupid ankle injury stopped me from racing on skates ever again. I was still able to ride my bike, which I had used as cross-training until then.
2005: I got my bike racing license and managed to finish a bike race, a big accomplishment considering that most bike races are laps around 1- to 2-mile courses and you get pulled out if you fall far enough behind to get lapped. At racing speeds, that's only 2 to 4 minutes behind the winner.
2006: After a few top-10 finishes, I upgraded out of the beginner bike racing category (from Category 5 to Category 4). I promptly got my butt kicked in every race I entered.
2010: I was in my first successful breakaway in bike race. I led out my teammate who won and I got 4th place.
2012: a broken nose, a major sinus infection, and lower back problems side-lined me for 6 months. When I got back on the bike, I was mega-motivated which led me to...
2013: My best racing season yet: 3 wins, 3 second places, 2 third places.
2014: I slipped a little in fitness from last year, but still managed 2 wins, 3 second places, and 2 third places.
2015: between Shelli's surgery, buying/renovating/moving into the house, and a few other issues, I lost several months of training. I'm back on the bike solidly now and looking for goals in 2016... I've always wanted to be state champion...
It was there that I met several skaters from Cleveland, who taught me that (1) I was not fast at all and (2) there were races all over the place if I was willing to drive a bit.
It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since I started racing. That was my only race that year but in 1996, I did 9 different races. I still wasn't very fast but I was improving. I also broke my hand in a crash that year and did 3 races with a cast on my arm.
A few other highlights:
1999, I did 12 races, including two that I flew to: the amazing Northshore Inline Marathon in Minnesota and the legendary Athens-to-Atlanta in Georgia.
2001, I started training with coach Josh Seldman. I won my first race and was on the podium in two others.
2004, a stupid ankle injury stopped me from racing on skates ever again. I was still able to ride my bike, which I had used as cross-training until then.
2005: I got my bike racing license and managed to finish a bike race, a big accomplishment considering that most bike races are laps around 1- to 2-mile courses and you get pulled out if you fall far enough behind to get lapped. At racing speeds, that's only 2 to 4 minutes behind the winner.
2006: After a few top-10 finishes, I upgraded out of the beginner bike racing category (from Category 5 to Category 4). I promptly got my butt kicked in every race I entered.
2010: I was in my first successful breakaway in bike race. I led out my teammate who won and I got 4th place.
2012: a broken nose, a major sinus infection, and lower back problems side-lined me for 6 months. When I got back on the bike, I was mega-motivated which led me to...
2013: My best racing season yet: 3 wins, 3 second places, 2 third places.
2014: I slipped a little in fitness from last year, but still managed 2 wins, 3 second places, and 2 third places.
2015: between Shelli's surgery, buying/renovating/moving into the house, and a few other issues, I lost several months of training. I'm back on the bike solidly now and looking for goals in 2016... I've always wanted to be state champion...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
