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!!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
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.
Monday, December 30, 2013
12 Weeks and Counting
I'm back from Christmas, fully rested, and very well fed... so much so that I gained a few pounds from eating so many candies and cookies while just sitting on the couch (and driving 1200 miles!!)
I have 12 weeks until the start of racing season. In that time I need to lose 12 pounds (I am at 176 and need to be 164), get used to riding my time trial bike again (I have not ridden it since August), and build up my fitness to where it needs to be (I need to gain about 15 watts on my threshold).
I really set the bar high last year, being on the podium for 7 out of 11 races (and winning 3). I'd love to improve upon that.
Time to get to work!!
I have 12 weeks until the start of racing season. In that time I need to lose 12 pounds (I am at 176 and need to be 164), get used to riding my time trial bike again (I have not ridden it since August), and build up my fitness to where it needs to be (I need to gain about 15 watts on my threshold).
I really set the bar high last year, being on the podium for 7 out of 11 races (and winning 3). I'd love to improve upon that.
Time to get to work!!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Winter Boot Camp
From the time we got back from Vegas to the time we leave for Christmas, I had 14 days to train. Since I was well rested after several days of not riding and am going to have several more days off, I decided to absolutely floor it for those two weeks.
I have not taken a single rest day or a single easy day and trained twice on some days. While pushing this hard I hit some surprising numbers, many of which slightly better than what I was doing last February. I have gone from worrying about being behind and not hitting the results I needed to being right on schedule. I wanted to hit the Christmas break absolutely exhausted and in desperate need of a recovery week. It's safe to say that I've hit that goal.
When I get back, I will have 12 weeks until my first race.
I will be starting to ride my time trial bike more, getting used to a position I have not been in since August. From then on, I'll be doing all my hard training and test days on the TT bike to give me better data for my races. I'll also be fixing a few mistakes that I made in last year's training and gradually building up to the hell-on-Earth schedule that Hunter and I worked out so I can gain fitness during my insane 9-weeks straight of racing in the spring (yes, I'm more worried about surviving the workouts than I am the races!!).
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays!!
I have not taken a single rest day or a single easy day and trained twice on some days. While pushing this hard I hit some surprising numbers, many of which slightly better than what I was doing last February. I have gone from worrying about being behind and not hitting the results I needed to being right on schedule. I wanted to hit the Christmas break absolutely exhausted and in desperate need of a recovery week. It's safe to say that I've hit that goal.
When I get back, I will have 12 weeks until my first race.
I will be starting to ride my time trial bike more, getting used to a position I have not been in since August. From then on, I'll be doing all my hard training and test days on the TT bike to give me better data for my races. I'll also be fixing a few mistakes that I made in last year's training and gradually building up to the hell-on-Earth schedule that Hunter and I worked out so I can gain fitness during my insane 9-weeks straight of racing in the spring (yes, I'm more worried about surviving the workouts than I am the races!!).
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays!!
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Season Plans
(Just a quick note: this is my 150th blog post!!)
This week, the schedule for the NJ TT series was posted. Since doing well in (or even winning) that series is my goal for next year, I was eagerly waiting for that information.
The schedule contains 14 races running from the last week or March until mid August, with events from 6 miles to 24 miles. It won't be easy to do consistently well in that range of races over that period of time, so the goal will carry even that much more weight with me.
Making matters even more difficult, over a 12-week span there are 10 races. It will be really difficult to increase my fitness for the longer races later in the season while racing every week (and every race matters for points in the series, so I can't just take it easy for a few).
With so many issues, I was really starting to struggle with planning it all out.
My wonderful wife had heard me mention some various coaching options that I'd considered before but hadn't ever pursued before... so she got me one for Christmas. She bought me consulting time with power training expert, Hunter Allen.
She gave it to me early and we were able to set it all up this week.
Hunter and I spoke this week and it was amazing.
It felt like most of the call was me talking and explaining. Hunter was asking me questions and guiding the discussion, but ever for me, I felt like I was talking a lot, but that really makes sense. In order for him to give me the best recommendations, he needs to understand my goals, my abilities and limitations, and how I performed in previous races.
He made some great recommendations and gave me a few different options to try out. This season won't be easy, but that's part of why I'm looking forward to it.
While my goal was primarily looking forward to next year, I also got a great secondary value: he validated what I was already doing. There's nothing quite as great as hearing an expert you admire tell you that the training plans I had come up with on my own were good ones.
I didn't just get great ideas for next year. I also found a little more motivation in training.
This week, the schedule for the NJ TT series was posted. Since doing well in (or even winning) that series is my goal for next year, I was eagerly waiting for that information.
The schedule contains 14 races running from the last week or March until mid August, with events from 6 miles to 24 miles. It won't be easy to do consistently well in that range of races over that period of time, so the goal will carry even that much more weight with me.
Making matters even more difficult, over a 12-week span there are 10 races. It will be really difficult to increase my fitness for the longer races later in the season while racing every week (and every race matters for points in the series, so I can't just take it easy for a few).
With so many issues, I was really starting to struggle with planning it all out.
My wonderful wife had heard me mention some various coaching options that I'd considered before but hadn't ever pursued before... so she got me one for Christmas. She bought me consulting time with power training expert, Hunter Allen.
She gave it to me early and we were able to set it all up this week.
Hunter and I spoke this week and it was amazing.
It felt like most of the call was me talking and explaining. Hunter was asking me questions and guiding the discussion, but ever for me, I felt like I was talking a lot, but that really makes sense. In order for him to give me the best recommendations, he needs to understand my goals, my abilities and limitations, and how I performed in previous races.
He made some great recommendations and gave me a few different options to try out. This season won't be easy, but that's part of why I'm looking forward to it.
While my goal was primarily looking forward to next year, I also got a great secondary value: he validated what I was already doing. There's nothing quite as great as hearing an expert you admire tell you that the training plans I had come up with on my own were good ones.
I didn't just get great ideas for next year. I also found a little more motivation in training.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Back in the Groove
After the disruptions I complained about in my last post, I'm starting to get back into the rhythm of things.
I'm getting in all my scheduled workouts, working hard to build an aerobic foundation for the harder workouts to come later in the winter. For the last three weeks, I've been able to get in 11 hour weeks, which I'm really happy about. (and yes, most of that is on the trainer)
Looking at my heart rate and power numbers from last year, I'm definitely not in the same place as I was last November. My numbers are good but not AS good... but I'm also taking a different approach, so that's not really a surprise. Last year I was mixing in some higher intensity workouts (5 and 8 minutes at VO2 max, to be specific) almost every week. This year I'm focusing more on lower intensity, focusing on longer tempo and sweet spot efforts. I'm also experimenting with some of Joe Friel's aerobic decoupling concepts on my longer rides.
I have to remember that most of the races I'm doing next year are in the 20 to 40 minute range. I only have one race that will be longer than 45 minutes and another one less than 15 minutes. I'm looking for that "Goldilocks zone", with efforts that will improve my performance primarily in events of that time duration, not for shorter efforts and not for longer efforts.
Adding to the strangeness for this season, due to my travel schedule over the next month I decided not to do any testing until the new year. If I test now, I'll need to take several days to rest up for it so that I do my best and then the test numbers would be wrecked by the week of travel right after it when my fitness will drop. There's just no benefit to doing a test right now and the cost of losing another week of improvement is more than I'm willing to lose.
I haven't focused on weight loss nearly as much as I was last year. Of course, last year I was in the middle of a huge weight loss project, losing 30 pounds in the end. I regained 7 of those pounds and I'm hovering around 171 pounds.
While I'm planning to lose 9 pounds before racing season (to start the season in April at 162 pounds), I'm just not worried about that right now. After the new year, I should have 14 weeks of dedicated training when I can easily lose that much weight without feeling like I'm rushing it. One of my big concerns is the 5.5 mile hill climb in April, where weight will definitely be a factor.
I'm starting to plan out my races for next year. The schedule is rough because none of the races ae officially scheduled yet, but I'm using the calendar from last year to get an idea of what to expect.
It looks like I'll have 14 races total. There are 9 races from mid-April through early June (with 3 weekends that have races both Saturday and Sunday). After that there is a 5 week break when I can get some quality training in. Then there are 5 more races from mid-July to mid-August. I will probably end my season in mid-August again. I really liked having the late summer/fall to just ride for fun and the races in September are just ones that fit my strengths.
For comparison, I did 11 races this year with 3 that I'd planned to do but missed for some reason or another, so it's about the same.
I think the big challenge will be maintaining or even gaining fitness with so many races so close together.
I'm getting in all my scheduled workouts, working hard to build an aerobic foundation for the harder workouts to come later in the winter. For the last three weeks, I've been able to get in 11 hour weeks, which I'm really happy about. (and yes, most of that is on the trainer)
Looking at my heart rate and power numbers from last year, I'm definitely not in the same place as I was last November. My numbers are good but not AS good... but I'm also taking a different approach, so that's not really a surprise. Last year I was mixing in some higher intensity workouts (5 and 8 minutes at VO2 max, to be specific) almost every week. This year I'm focusing more on lower intensity, focusing on longer tempo and sweet spot efforts. I'm also experimenting with some of Joe Friel's aerobic decoupling concepts on my longer rides.
I have to remember that most of the races I'm doing next year are in the 20 to 40 minute range. I only have one race that will be longer than 45 minutes and another one less than 15 minutes. I'm looking for that "Goldilocks zone", with efforts that will improve my performance primarily in events of that time duration, not for shorter efforts and not for longer efforts.
Adding to the strangeness for this season, due to my travel schedule over the next month I decided not to do any testing until the new year. If I test now, I'll need to take several days to rest up for it so that I do my best and then the test numbers would be wrecked by the week of travel right after it when my fitness will drop. There's just no benefit to doing a test right now and the cost of losing another week of improvement is more than I'm willing to lose.
I haven't focused on weight loss nearly as much as I was last year. Of course, last year I was in the middle of a huge weight loss project, losing 30 pounds in the end. I regained 7 of those pounds and I'm hovering around 171 pounds.
While I'm planning to lose 9 pounds before racing season (to start the season in April at 162 pounds), I'm just not worried about that right now. After the new year, I should have 14 weeks of dedicated training when I can easily lose that much weight without feeling like I'm rushing it. One of my big concerns is the 5.5 mile hill climb in April, where weight will definitely be a factor.
I'm starting to plan out my races for next year. The schedule is rough because none of the races ae officially scheduled yet, but I'm using the calendar from last year to get an idea of what to expect.
It looks like I'll have 14 races total. There are 9 races from mid-April through early June (with 3 weekends that have races both Saturday and Sunday). After that there is a 5 week break when I can get some quality training in. Then there are 5 more races from mid-July to mid-August. I will probably end my season in mid-August again. I really liked having the late summer/fall to just ride for fun and the races in September are just ones that fit my strengths.
For comparison, I did 11 races this year with 3 that I'd planned to do but missed for some reason or another, so it's about the same.
I think the big challenge will be maintaining or even gaining fitness with so many races so close together.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Behind Schedule
The chaos continues!! Many of you know that our trip in October was one of the worst, most chaotic weeks of our lives with just one hit coming after the other. As soon as we got back, I was on doctor's orders to stay off the bike and doing nothing but lying on the couch for 5 days.
It put a huge dent in my fitness. I've been gradually getting back on the bike over the last few days, with my heart rate dramatically higher at lower power numbers. I'm hoping that my fitness comes back quickly but I will definitely not be ready for the threshold test I'd planned next week.
Looking over my training plan, I'm about 3 weeks behind. Making matters works, I have a business trip and a family trip in December which only leaves me about 2 weeks to train in December and the other two weeks just losing fitness.
This winter training season is definitely not going as planned...
It put a huge dent in my fitness. I've been gradually getting back on the bike over the last few days, with my heart rate dramatically higher at lower power numbers. I'm hoping that my fitness comes back quickly but I will definitely not be ready for the threshold test I'd planned next week.
Looking over my training plan, I'm about 3 weeks behind. Making matters works, I have a business trip and a family trip in December which only leaves me about 2 weeks to train in December and the other two weeks just losing fitness.
This winter training season is definitely not going as planned...
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Reset
It's that time of year again: the start of a new season.
It's all reset. My results, my fitness, my weight loss... all the work I put into previous seasons are just good for the memories. Now I have to ready for next year.
Today is the first day of the 2013-2014 season, with 22 weeks until my first race. I've taken inventory of my strengths and weaknesses and decided what to focus on for next year.
Like last year, I'm trying something new that I think will help me be better than ever before.
Unlike last year, I have some serious pressure to live up to my winning record from last year.
My last race was 8 weeks ago. Since then I've been riding for fun, just doing what I felt like. I've gone after some Strava segments and had some fun, but most of it was all short 2 and 3 minute efforts. Now I need to get back to working on the longer efforts that prepare me for time trials.
I have a conference coming up in 7 weeks, so I am setting my first goals for that time:
My biggest concern is not psyching myself out trying to live up the results I had last year.
It's all reset. My results, my fitness, my weight loss... all the work I put into previous seasons are just good for the memories. Now I have to ready for next year.
Today is the first day of the 2013-2014 season, with 22 weeks until my first race. I've taken inventory of my strengths and weaknesses and decided what to focus on for next year.
Like last year, I'm trying something new that I think will help me be better than ever before.
Unlike last year, I have some serious pressure to live up to my winning record from last year.
My last race was 8 weeks ago. Since then I've been riding for fun, just doing what I felt like. I've gone after some Strava segments and had some fun, but most of it was all short 2 and 3 minute efforts. Now I need to get back to working on the longer efforts that prepare me for time trials.
I have a conference coming up in 7 weeks, so I am setting my first goals for that time:
- I am currently 173 pounds. In 7 weeks, I want to lose 5 pounds and be down to 168.
- Last year my November 20 minute test was 282 watts on the road bike. This year, I want my first test to be the same... but on the TT bike.
My biggest concern is not psyching myself out trying to live up the results I had last year.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Missions Accomplished
This year was kind of strange. In years past, I would set several goals for a year and end up only hitting one or two.
For the 2012-2013 season, I set a lot of training and weight loss targets for myself in 12-week increments so that I could adjust my training as I needed to. I met most of them (but don't bother listing them all here). I also had a catalog of long term goals that I had accumulated over the years of training and racing.
This is a list of those goals, what I achieved, and what I might do with them in the future.
Weight Loss:
I've dropped 30 pounds, going from 194 pounds and 24.2% body fat to 164 pounds and 16.2% body fat. I gained a few pounds over the summer, drifting back up to 170 and 17.1% body fat. I can definitely lose that much over the next few months so I can be done with weight loss by January.
I'd love to hit 160 and 15%, but that might be too low (especially for Shelli, who thought I was a bit too thin at 164).
20 minute Power Increase
I was using my 20-minute power as a measure of my fitness increases over the winter. I was able to increase it from 260 watts in September to 309 watts in March, an 18.8% increase over six months (I stopped testing once racing season started). I admit, my starting point was low because I was pretty out of shape in summer 2012, but I never imagined that I could get my power up that high.
The one mistake I made last years was doing all my testing on my road bike. I really should have done it on my TT bike. Next year, I want to see that same high end power (around 310 to 315) on the TT bike.
5 minute Power
This one was really shocking. For pretty much as long as I've had a power meter (since 2009), my 5-minute power peaked out at 305 watts. This year I crushed that, reaching 370 watts, a 21% increase.
I'd love to see 400 watts by next year, but that might be a bit high to do in one year... still it will be a good eventual goal.
40K Time:
I've had a goal of completing a 40K (24.84 miles) time trial in under and hour for as long as I've been into time trials (since 2005). This year I beat that goal twice, doing one in 59:35 (25.1 mph) and one in a stunning 57:42 (25.8 mph).
I've found that I like the shorter time trials better, so it might be a while before I go after a 40K goal again (though 55 minutes is a nice round-ish number... that would require a 27 mph average)
The Philly Time Trial
A staple in the Philly racing calendar, I've only done this in under 20 minutes a handful of times. 19 minutes was a goal just as long as the 40K goal was. This year I did it this year in 18:10 (26.8 mph).
I missed the podium by 15 seconds, so I know I'll want to get under 18 minutes.
USA Cycling Ranking
I know, USA Cycling ranking doesn't really mean a lot, but it gives me a way to compare how I'm doing.
I finished out the year (out of Category 4 time trialists) as 3rd in Pennsylvania, 23rd in the country, and 2nd in the 30-39 age group.
Training Volume
Some of my best years, I was training around 420 hours over the course of the year (8 hours a week on average over 52 weeks). This year, I just crossed 500 hours, and will probably be around 510 (9.8 hour a week) by the end of my training year next week.
Betzwood-Art Museum Route:
I've been doing this 41.6-mile route since my skating days (though back then I was starting at the Museum and riding to Betzwood park and back). At some point I decided that I wanted to do it in under 2 hours. It's mostly flat but has a few decent climbs and there are several red lights to worry about and a little pedestrian traffic on the trail. This year I did it in 1:58:53 (21 mph).
Race Results
As of March 2013, I'd never won a bike race. My best ever result was from a long range breakaway in a race where I finished 4th (out of a 6-man break that finished several minutes ahead of the pack).
This year, out of 11 races, I won three, finished 2nd in three, and finished 3rd in one race for a total of 7 times on the podium. I never could have imagined such a solid season.
--
With the end of the season here, I'm faced with picking goals for the next season (including training goals, race selection, amount of weight loss, and target body fat). When I was fat and out of shape lats year, it was easy to set goals. Now that I'm a lot leaner and faster, I'm finding it a lot harder to pick goals that are challenging, interesting, motivating, and at least remotely possible so I can reach them.
I have some other ideas that are more nebulous. I know my flexibility and core strength at not great. The gap between my 5 minute and 20 minute power is a little larger than I'd like. I want to see if I can get just a little more aerodynamic on the TT bike.
Oh yeah.... and maybe I'd like to win more than 3 out of 11 races ;-)
For the 2012-2013 season, I set a lot of training and weight loss targets for myself in 12-week increments so that I could adjust my training as I needed to. I met most of them (but don't bother listing them all here). I also had a catalog of long term goals that I had accumulated over the years of training and racing.
This is a list of those goals, what I achieved, and what I might do with them in the future.
Weight Loss:
I've dropped 30 pounds, going from 194 pounds and 24.2% body fat to 164 pounds and 16.2% body fat. I gained a few pounds over the summer, drifting back up to 170 and 17.1% body fat. I can definitely lose that much over the next few months so I can be done with weight loss by January.
I'd love to hit 160 and 15%, but that might be too low (especially for Shelli, who thought I was a bit too thin at 164).
20 minute Power Increase
I was using my 20-minute power as a measure of my fitness increases over the winter. I was able to increase it from 260 watts in September to 309 watts in March, an 18.8% increase over six months (I stopped testing once racing season started). I admit, my starting point was low because I was pretty out of shape in summer 2012, but I never imagined that I could get my power up that high.
The one mistake I made last years was doing all my testing on my road bike. I really should have done it on my TT bike. Next year, I want to see that same high end power (around 310 to 315) on the TT bike.
5 minute Power
This one was really shocking. For pretty much as long as I've had a power meter (since 2009), my 5-minute power peaked out at 305 watts. This year I crushed that, reaching 370 watts, a 21% increase.
I'd love to see 400 watts by next year, but that might be a bit high to do in one year... still it will be a good eventual goal.
40K Time:
I've had a goal of completing a 40K (24.84 miles) time trial in under and hour for as long as I've been into time trials (since 2005). This year I beat that goal twice, doing one in 59:35 (25.1 mph) and one in a stunning 57:42 (25.8 mph).
I've found that I like the shorter time trials better, so it might be a while before I go after a 40K goal again (though 55 minutes is a nice round-ish number... that would require a 27 mph average)
The Philly Time Trial
A staple in the Philly racing calendar, I've only done this in under 20 minutes a handful of times. 19 minutes was a goal just as long as the 40K goal was. This year I did it this year in 18:10 (26.8 mph).
I missed the podium by 15 seconds, so I know I'll want to get under 18 minutes.
USA Cycling Ranking
I know, USA Cycling ranking doesn't really mean a lot, but it gives me a way to compare how I'm doing.
I finished out the year (out of Category 4 time trialists) as 3rd in Pennsylvania, 23rd in the country, and 2nd in the 30-39 age group.
Training Volume
Some of my best years, I was training around 420 hours over the course of the year (8 hours a week on average over 52 weeks). This year, I just crossed 500 hours, and will probably be around 510 (9.8 hour a week) by the end of my training year next week.
Betzwood-Art Museum Route:
I've been doing this 41.6-mile route since my skating days (though back then I was starting at the Museum and riding to Betzwood park and back). At some point I decided that I wanted to do it in under 2 hours. It's mostly flat but has a few decent climbs and there are several red lights to worry about and a little pedestrian traffic on the trail. This year I did it in 1:58:53 (21 mph).
Race Results
As of March 2013, I'd never won a bike race. My best ever result was from a long range breakaway in a race where I finished 4th (out of a 6-man break that finished several minutes ahead of the pack).
This year, out of 11 races, I won three, finished 2nd in three, and finished 3rd in one race for a total of 7 times on the podium. I never could have imagined such a solid season.
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With the end of the season here, I'm faced with picking goals for the next season (including training goals, race selection, amount of weight loss, and target body fat). When I was fat and out of shape lats year, it was easy to set goals. Now that I'm a lot leaner and faster, I'm finding it a lot harder to pick goals that are challenging, interesting, motivating, and at least remotely possible so I can reach them.
I have some other ideas that are more nebulous. I know my flexibility and core strength at not great. The gap between my 5 minute and 20 minute power is a little larger than I'd like. I want to see if I can get just a little more aerodynamic on the TT bike.
Oh yeah.... and maybe I'd like to win more than 3 out of 11 races ;-)
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