Numerically, 2012 was a good season.
I lost 10 pounds. I set several new power records for myself. My 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 8:00 and 20:00 power numbers are all 10% higher than they ever were before. I started training with GPS and set a few course bests.
The weird part is that I did all of that in just the last 12 weeks.Up until then, the year had its highs and lows.
The first 4 months of the "off season" went pretty well. I was training regularly, maintaining my threshold power, and building up my leg strength and pedaling efficiency. I was starting to see signs of my threshold improving and I was getting close to my best sprint power.
Then I broke my nose. I couldn't really train for a week until the swelling went down, and then I got a sinus infection that kept my training to a minimum. After nearly a month off, I started rebuilding.
A month after that, I wrenched my back. I took a few weeks off, let myself heal a bit, then started up too hard and hurt my back again.
This time I took a month or two of nothing but easy riding. My motivation was gone and I just had no desire to train at all.
In June, my motivation came back as mysteriously as as it had gone. I was training seriously, with both a plan and a purpose.
I think next season I'm going to plan my training and goals in smaller blocks, probably of 8 to 12 weeks. That might mean not even picking my "A" races until the spring, when I can say what skills and strengths I've cultivated over the winter.
We'll see how it goes!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
More Than Just Maps
A few years ago, I made the switch from tracking the intensity on my bike with heart rate to tracking it with power. It meant learning a whole new series of terms and training methods which were much more specific and exact than anything heart rate had to offer. It gave me new ways to plan my training, track my results, and make sure that I was getting enough recovery between workouts (and hard weeks).
It was more efficient and effective in almost every way I could want.
In the last month, I've started training with GPS. It's not a replacement for training with power in any way. Instead, it's giving me another way to look at my training. It combines three pieces of information:
Training with power requires a power meter and software to analyze the data, so it can get a bit expensive. All training with GPS requires is a modern smart phone. Of course, with GPS-enabled bike computers, you can also track you speed, heart rate and power as well as the mapping data.
There are quite a few benefits to training with a GPS.
First, cyclists are seriously competitive. Seeing that someone else did better on a road that I thought I did well on gives me an incentive to try to beat them, especially if it's a road that I ride a lot and feel that I should be the best rider on it. The system tracks all of the roads on which you have the best time and notifies you any time someone beats you. For me, I've found a tendency towards short steep climbs (less than 4 minutes) or longer, flatter segments (about 5 minutes or so).
Second, it captures the performance data of everyone who rides on each segment. I don't just see their speed. I see how much power it took them to get it. Now I have something to aim for.
Third, it lets me compare against my own previous times. It shows me every time that I've ridden that segment (with a GPS-enabled device) and how my performances compare. Before long, you start to see the patterns of how you do when you are just cruising along vs. how you do when you are really pushing.
Last, and perhaps best, you can browse a map to find segments that others have marked. It gives you ideas of places to ride near the areas that you already ride so you can try out new and different roads (and of course, have a target speed/time on them!!)
Would I train with GPS and not power? Not if I could help it. I look at GPS as a great supplement to power, not as a replacement.
It was more efficient and effective in almost every way I could want.
In the last month, I've started training with GPS. It's not a replacement for training with power in any way. Instead, it's giving me another way to look at my training. It combines three pieces of information:
- Where I ride
- Segments of road that someone has marked as being worth tracking
- My performance on that segment (both against others and against myself)
Training with power requires a power meter and software to analyze the data, so it can get a bit expensive. All training with GPS requires is a modern smart phone. Of course, with GPS-enabled bike computers, you can also track you speed, heart rate and power as well as the mapping data.
There are quite a few benefits to training with a GPS.
First, cyclists are seriously competitive. Seeing that someone else did better on a road that I thought I did well on gives me an incentive to try to beat them, especially if it's a road that I ride a lot and feel that I should be the best rider on it. The system tracks all of the roads on which you have the best time and notifies you any time someone beats you. For me, I've found a tendency towards short steep climbs (less than 4 minutes) or longer, flatter segments (about 5 minutes or so).
Second, it captures the performance data of everyone who rides on each segment. I don't just see their speed. I see how much power it took them to get it. Now I have something to aim for.
Third, it lets me compare against my own previous times. It shows me every time that I've ridden that segment (with a GPS-enabled device) and how my performances compare. Before long, you start to see the patterns of how you do when you are just cruising along vs. how you do when you are really pushing.
Last, and perhaps best, you can browse a map to find segments that others have marked. It gives you ideas of places to ride near the areas that you already ride so you can try out new and different roads (and of course, have a target speed/time on them!!)
Would I train with GPS and not power? Not if I could help it. I look at GPS as a great supplement to power, not as a replacement.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Deep Blue, Take Two
Now that I'm done complaining about how humid it was, let's take another look at that race and my preparation.
In early June, I didn't care about racing. I was riding enough to have fun, but no serious training, no hard efforts, and no structure to what I was doing. At the end of June, the switch in my head flipped to "on" and I started training for real.
I did 9 weeks of solid, structured training, with volume increased, the intensity increased, and an experimental 10-day taper so that I showed up for the race both well trained and well rested.
I did a "dry run" two days in advance to make sure that all of my equipment was ready to go.
I had my traditional Indian for dinner the night before the race and got a good night's sleep.
I got to the race an hour early and got in a good warmup. I spent 45 minutes on the trainer with a dedicated warmup, then spent 15 minutes on the road. I brought a spare jersey to wear on the trainer so I could race in a dry outfit and be more comfortable.
To counter against the humidity, I drank a lot of fluids before the race. I drank 2 bottles in the hour before the race.
I started the race well, getting a strong start for the first minute and then gradually settled into the power that I wanted. I just forgot to account for the humidity.
Even though the weather did not cooperate, I feel that the factors that I could control all went perfectly.
In early June, I didn't care about racing. I was riding enough to have fun, but no serious training, no hard efforts, and no structure to what I was doing. At the end of June, the switch in my head flipped to "on" and I started training for real.
I did 9 weeks of solid, structured training, with volume increased, the intensity increased, and an experimental 10-day taper so that I showed up for the race both well trained and well rested.
I did a "dry run" two days in advance to make sure that all of my equipment was ready to go.
I had my traditional Indian for dinner the night before the race and got a good night's sleep.
I got to the race an hour early and got in a good warmup. I spent 45 minutes on the trainer with a dedicated warmup, then spent 15 minutes on the road. I brought a spare jersey to wear on the trainer so I could race in a dry outfit and be more comfortable.
To counter against the humidity, I drank a lot of fluids before the race. I drank 2 bottles in the hour before the race.
I started the race well, getting a strong start for the first minute and then gradually settled into the power that I wanted. I just forgot to account for the humidity.
Even though the weather did not cooperate, I feel that the factors that I could control all went perfectly.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Like Breathing Through a Wet Sock
I don't deal well with high humidity. I never have. Heat I'm OK with. Not humidity.
Early this week, I saw that it was going to be hot and humid for this race, so I decided to race in my normal road gear. My time trial helmet has almost no vents and my time trial speed suit does not breathe very well, so I figured I would be better off using my standard road outfit and helmet. I was not racing for the podium today anyway.
I also decided to use my road bike, not my time trial bike. It usually takes me 4 to 6 weeks of riding on the TT bike to get comfortable on it and get my power output close to that of my road bike. While I've been training like a lunatic for the last 8 weeks, it has only minimally been on the TT bike.
I was right to plan for this. At the start, it was 78 degrees with a dew point of 72. Really humid and disgusting.
The race was OK. It is a mostly flat 10.9 mile course with a 3/4 mile climb at one end right before the turnaround. It's got several little climbs for bridges that go over streams, but they are more notable for their bone-jarring offset in the pavement than they are for their vertical climb.
I was really happy with my pacing. I started off hard for the first minute, then settled into my goal power of 250 watts (which was based off a 30-minute test on the trainer two weeks ago). Unfortunately, I forgot to account for the humidity.
About 4 miles out, I could barely breathe. I was inhaling as much as I could, but it felt like nothing was coming in. The humidity had caught up with me. I tried dropping my power, first to 245 and then to 240 and finally to 235. I still could barely breathe and my heart rate was still climbing. Of course, this was right as I hit the hill, so I was working pretty hard to get over that.
Then I hit the turnaround. The crosswinds that were little more than a nuisance on the way out were now really in my face. Nothing like a stiff headwind while trying to make up speed on the descent.
The turn where I almost hit an SUV gave me no problems this year, Of course, having my road bike (which is far more maneuverable) helped. I barely touched the brakes diving through that turn.
When I came through the last curve and saw the finish line, I got out of the saddle and gave it all that I had left, which was really not much.
I finished in just a hair over 30 minutes, giving me an average speed of 22 mph and an average power of 240 watts.
For as much as I struggled on the course, it's not that bad.
On the plus side, we got a few good pictures :-)
Early this week, I saw that it was going to be hot and humid for this race, so I decided to race in my normal road gear. My time trial helmet has almost no vents and my time trial speed suit does not breathe very well, so I figured I would be better off using my standard road outfit and helmet. I was not racing for the podium today anyway.
I also decided to use my road bike, not my time trial bike. It usually takes me 4 to 6 weeks of riding on the TT bike to get comfortable on it and get my power output close to that of my road bike. While I've been training like a lunatic for the last 8 weeks, it has only minimally been on the TT bike.
I was right to plan for this. At the start, it was 78 degrees with a dew point of 72. Really humid and disgusting.
The race was OK. It is a mostly flat 10.9 mile course with a 3/4 mile climb at one end right before the turnaround. It's got several little climbs for bridges that go over streams, but they are more notable for their bone-jarring offset in the pavement than they are for their vertical climb.
I was really happy with my pacing. I started off hard for the first minute, then settled into my goal power of 250 watts (which was based off a 30-minute test on the trainer two weeks ago). Unfortunately, I forgot to account for the humidity.
About 4 miles out, I could barely breathe. I was inhaling as much as I could, but it felt like nothing was coming in. The humidity had caught up with me. I tried dropping my power, first to 245 and then to 240 and finally to 235. I still could barely breathe and my heart rate was still climbing. Of course, this was right as I hit the hill, so I was working pretty hard to get over that.
Then I hit the turnaround. The crosswinds that were little more than a nuisance on the way out were now really in my face. Nothing like a stiff headwind while trying to make up speed on the descent.
The turn where I almost hit an SUV gave me no problems this year, Of course, having my road bike (which is far more maneuverable) helped. I barely touched the brakes diving through that turn.
When I came through the last curve and saw the finish line, I got out of the saddle and gave it all that I had left, which was really not much.
I finished in just a hair over 30 minutes, giving me an average speed of 22 mph and an average power of 240 watts.
For as much as I struggled on the course, it's not that bad.
On the plus side, we got a few good pictures :-)
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Running on Fumes
As I've said, I really cranked up the intensity over the last few weeks.
Since June 25, I've had one thought on my mind: Deep Blue 20K time trial. I've been training like a lunatic for it non-stop.
As of yesterday, I've lost 5 pounds in those 8 weeks, putting me at 189.4. It's not a lot of weight to lose for that time frame, but I had to eat a lot just to keep my performance up.
My plan was to train up until today, then start to taper for the race, which is in 10 days. That plan worked out perfectly. This morning on the trainer, on my last interval, my body just stopped. My legs were exhausted, I could barely turn the pedals, and I was ready to call it a day. Just in time.
For the next 10 days, I'll be alternating very easy days with some moderately intense days, trying to let my body rest without losing any of the hard-won fitness.
For the power.data guys, this is my performance chart from the last month:
I'm ready for some rest and a great race day!!
Since June 25, I've had one thought on my mind: Deep Blue 20K time trial. I've been training like a lunatic for it non-stop.
As of yesterday, I've lost 5 pounds in those 8 weeks, putting me at 189.4. It's not a lot of weight to lose for that time frame, but I had to eat a lot just to keep my performance up.
My plan was to train up until today, then start to taper for the race, which is in 10 days. That plan worked out perfectly. This morning on the trainer, on my last interval, my body just stopped. My legs were exhausted, I could barely turn the pedals, and I was ready to call it a day. Just in time.
For the next 10 days, I'll be alternating very easy days with some moderately intense days, trying to let my body rest without losing any of the hard-won fitness.
For the power.data guys, this is my performance chart from the last month:
I'm ready for some rest and a great race day!!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Turning up the Heat
Last month, I dramatically increased my training volume, going from about 4 hours a week on the bike to 9 to 10 hours a week. This month, I've stayed around 9 hours a week, but I'm riding much more intensely.
Before, I was doing a lot of moderate intensity. I'd finish a ride and just tired from sitting in the saddle, but not really from the workout. Now, I'm structuring my workouts so that they are hard enough that I need an easy day or a day off after each major workout. I'm doing intense threshold and VO2 intervals two days a week and a time trial each week, plus a group ride that is intense enough to make me work but no so intense that I'm worried about getting dropped in the middle of nowhere.
For the power geeks, since June 15, I've increased my CTL from 45 to 78.
My weight has finally started to drop. I was up to 194. I've only lost a couple pounds (down to 191.4 this morning), but at least it's moving in the right direction now. With just three weeks until the Deep Blue Time Trial, I am aiming to be 190 pounds at the start.
My biggest goal is to keep my momentum going into the winter. I've got a few ideas for things to do this winter to keep me on track and finally break the 1 hour 40K mark next year.
Before, I was doing a lot of moderate intensity. I'd finish a ride and just tired from sitting in the saddle, but not really from the workout. Now, I'm structuring my workouts so that they are hard enough that I need an easy day or a day off after each major workout. I'm doing intense threshold and VO2 intervals two days a week and a time trial each week, plus a group ride that is intense enough to make me work but no so intense that I'm worried about getting dropped in the middle of nowhere.
For the power geeks, since June 15, I've increased my CTL from 45 to 78.
My weight has finally started to drop. I was up to 194. I've only lost a couple pounds (down to 191.4 this morning), but at least it's moving in the right direction now. With just three weeks until the Deep Blue Time Trial, I am aiming to be 190 pounds at the start.
My biggest goal is to keep my momentum going into the winter. I've got a few ideas for things to do this winter to keep me on track and finally break the 1 hour 40K mark next year.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The Rapid Climb
As I've mentioned, I've struggled this year with my motivation. I have not been racing and I just started getting back onto the bike and training for real.
Over the last four weeks, I've increased my weekly training volume from 4 hours a week to 11 hours a week. For the power geeks, that mean increasing my CTL (chronic training load) from 45 to 65. It's been a lot of work and I'm completely exhausted, but I'm starting to see signs of fitness again.
Now that I'm surviving higher volume, I'm going to start increasing the intensity of my workouts so I can build up some speed.
I'm looking to do all this for two reasons:
I'm looking at a couple of races that I did last year, the Deep Blue Time Trial (11 miles, Sept 2) and the Ernie Simpson Memorial Time Trial (12.4 miles, Sept 9). I figure at least that way I can say that I raced this year.
I'm already starting to think about what I can do for next year. The fact is, no matter how much I train, I'm better as a sprinter than a time trialist. I can't change my genetics. At the same time, I don't like the insanity of crit races. I'm trying to figure out what type of racing might be good for me that is a little less crazy but still puts my sprint tendencies to work.
Over the last four weeks, I've increased my weekly training volume from 4 hours a week to 11 hours a week. For the power geeks, that mean increasing my CTL (chronic training load) from 45 to 65. It's been a lot of work and I'm completely exhausted, but I'm starting to see signs of fitness again.
Now that I'm surviving higher volume, I'm going to start increasing the intensity of my workouts so I can build up some speed.
I'm looking to do all this for two reasons:
- to lose weight
- to do well in a time trial
I'm looking at a couple of races that I did last year, the Deep Blue Time Trial (11 miles, Sept 2) and the Ernie Simpson Memorial Time Trial (12.4 miles, Sept 9). I figure at least that way I can say that I raced this year.
I'm already starting to think about what I can do for next year. The fact is, no matter how much I train, I'm better as a sprinter than a time trialist. I can't change my genetics. At the same time, I don't like the insanity of crit races. I'm trying to figure out what type of racing might be good for me that is a little less crazy but still puts my sprint tendencies to work.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
How Does That Make You Feel?
I use a few different ways to judge my current fitness level.
The first is the obvious one: my power numbers. I have all of my power numbers back to 2009 and I can easily compare my best power numbers for the last 30 days against numbers from any month since.
The second one is how well I recover from a ride. For example, yesterday I went on a 2:15 ride covering 42 miles, with an hour at a tempo pace (204 watts avg, 19.8 mph avg; not my best numbers, but they are gradually improving). I got home, my legs were a bit tired, but I didn't feel too awful.
Today I went out for a three hour ride. The hardest part about a ride that long is the discipline to keep your pace down. Let people pass me, don't chase down every group I see, take it easy up the hills. About an hour and a half into the ride, my legs were complaining a bit and I was really tender from being in the saddle so much, but I noticed something: neither sensation was getting any worse. They were annoying, but they were not becoming more painful.
My real goal for the day was to reach 50 miles. Instead, I rode 60 miles, for a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes. After a pretty hard yesterday, I was still able to exceed my goals for today.
I'm pretty happy about that.
My third consideration is how well I function for the rest of the day. If I do a hard ride and then I'm a blob on the couch the rest of the day, I know that I could not really handle the ride. If I'm functional and manage to, say, go grocery shopping, a little house work, and go for a walk later in the day, then I know that my body can actually handle the training efforts that I'm putting in.
I felt fine after yesterday's ride and I'm planning on going out today as well.
The first is the obvious one: my power numbers. I have all of my power numbers back to 2009 and I can easily compare my best power numbers for the last 30 days against numbers from any month since.
The second one is how well I recover from a ride. For example, yesterday I went on a 2:15 ride covering 42 miles, with an hour at a tempo pace (204 watts avg, 19.8 mph avg; not my best numbers, but they are gradually improving). I got home, my legs were a bit tired, but I didn't feel too awful.
Today I went out for a three hour ride. The hardest part about a ride that long is the discipline to keep your pace down. Let people pass me, don't chase down every group I see, take it easy up the hills. About an hour and a half into the ride, my legs were complaining a bit and I was really tender from being in the saddle so much, but I noticed something: neither sensation was getting any worse. They were annoying, but they were not becoming more painful.
My real goal for the day was to reach 50 miles. Instead, I rode 60 miles, for a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes. After a pretty hard yesterday, I was still able to exceed my goals for today.
I'm pretty happy about that.
My third consideration is how well I function for the rest of the day. If I do a hard ride and then I'm a blob on the couch the rest of the day, I know that I could not really handle the ride. If I'm functional and manage to, say, go grocery shopping, a little house work, and go for a walk later in the day, then I know that my body can actually handle the training efforts that I'm putting in.
I felt fine after yesterday's ride and I'm planning on going out today as well.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
On the Road Again
Yesterday, for the first time in three months, I went for a long ride. Most of my rides have been an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Yesterday, I did 2 hours.
It was a simple ride, just to the Art Museum in Philly and back home for 37 miles. I pushed the pace a few times, usually just up a hill or to chase down someone on the horizon.
I felt great mentally. That kind of ride always feels good to complete. The rest of the day, my legs were killing me, though. Dong a two hour ride after not doing one for a while can be a little more punishing. Over the coming weeks, I really need to get more of them!
It was a simple ride, just to the Art Museum in Philly and back home for 37 miles. I pushed the pace a few times, usually just up a hill or to chase down someone on the horizon.
I felt great mentally. That kind of ride always feels good to complete. The rest of the day, my legs were killing me, though. Dong a two hour ride after not doing one for a while can be a little more punishing. Over the coming weeks, I really need to get more of them!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
You can always tell...
When things are going great, I post a lot. When things are not, I don't post as much.
I've been under huge amounts of pressure at work and fighting one minor illness after another, so I have not been riding nearly as much as I'd like to be. My motivation to race is really not there right now and I'm basically riding enough to keep my weight from going up any more than it has already.
I've tried setting a few goals, but I'm finding that when I don't care about the goals, I don't work very hard toward them.
Hopefully I can get it together soon :-)
I've been under huge amounts of pressure at work and fighting one minor illness after another, so I have not been riding nearly as much as I'd like to be. My motivation to race is really not there right now and I'm basically riding enough to keep my weight from going up any more than it has already.
I've tried setting a few goals, but I'm finding that when I don't care about the goals, I don't work very hard toward them.
Hopefully I can get it together soon :-)
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