Rebuilding

The worst part about letting yourself get out of shape is the process of rebuilding it all.

Training on a regular basis has all kinds of aches and pains and discomforts associated with it, but rebuilding from a lower level has the added aggravation of constantly feeling "I can do better."

The rides I'm doing are shorter, the power numbers are lower, and I feel like I did something twice and long and twice as hard afterwards. But I'm working on it.

I've gradually rebuilt my training volume so this week I'm back over 7 hours. I'm really trying to be patient and not add much intensity to the mix yet. I know my body can't handle it just yet... I tried a couple of really high-power 2-minute intervals on Tuesday and my knee just screamed at me for two days afterwards.

I've got one more week to build up before we go on vacation. I'm planning to really wear myself out before we go so my body can spend the time we're gone repairing and compensating.

When we get back, I plan to build back into the 8 to 10 hour range and then gradually start adding back in the intensity.

My training numbers overall are not great. My CTL is at 48 and ATL is at 72, so I'll be ready for an easier day tomorrow. 

I still don't have any racing goals or anything... with all we've got going on, there's no way we could travel to races. I might do something different and just aim for some performance goals in a range I've never really focused on before.... we'll see!

This week's numbers:
Weight: 186.2 (187 last week)
Training volume: 7.4 hours (6.9 last week)

Long Time Away

It's been a busy year, but not on the bike!

Back in January, I was working on some aggressive goals for this year on the bike. Around the same time, I got involved with Shelli's side business... which took off like a rocket. All my mental effort and free time went into that instead of into training and racing like I'd planned.

Now, the business is doing really well (for a side business, we're not doing it full time or anything), but I'm seriously out of shape and have gained 15 pounds just this year, reaching just under 190 pounds.

So, now it's time to get at least a little fitness back and lose some weight.

My average training week has only been 3 or 4 hours a week at best. I want to build that up to 6 to 8 and see how it goes.

Goal wise, I doubt I'll be racing on that much training volume. Mostly I want to get my weight back down around 170 (or a little under) and not embarrass myself when I go out riding with my friends and maybe get a few Strava KOMs back that I've lost.


Starting numbers:
estimated FTP: 210 watts
weight: 187 pounds