Yesterday's post was about last weekend, so today's will be about yesterday :-)
Yesterday I tried out a new workout that I've been wanting to do for some time and I think the time is finally right.
Many of you know that my major goal is to complete a 40K time trial (24.8 miles) in less than an hour. I'm not picky: 59:59 is a good enough time for me.
My training all winter has been focused on that goal and I've made tremendous improvements along the way. Most of those workouts have used intervals from 5 to 20 minutes in length with decent recovery between them. A 5-minute interval might have 5 minutes of recovery before the next one. A 20 minute interval usually had 10 minutes.
Yesterday's trainer workout was about incomplete recovery. The goal was to accumulate 60 minutes of racing intensity by spending 5 minutes at race pace (103% of FTP, 275 watts was my goal) and then 1 minute at an easy soft-pedaling pace (around 130 watts). That means 12 repetitions of 5 minutes to each 60 minutes.
On paper, it's simple. In reality, it's a lot harder.
Probably the hardest part was remembering to keep the pace down in the beginning. The first few intervals were not that hard. I had to keep reminding myself that I was going to be doing a lot of them. Sure enough, the later ones were MUCH harder to keep the pace.
Second was keeping track. It's pretty hard to remember how many intervals you've done when you are having to consciously focus on your breathing and pacing. I have a large pile of safety pins from all the races that I have done over the years and I set them on the stand next to my trainer. At the end of each interval, I moved on pin to the other side of the stand.
Me being me, I gradually set them in 4 rows of 3, so I could tell how many intervals I had done at any time with a glance.
In the end, the hard work and focus paid off: my average power for the entire collected group was 276 watts. My first interval was the lowest at 270 (I was probably not warmed up enough) and my highest was 282. Most of them were 275 or 277.
It's not a workout I will do all the time, but I definitely think it has a place in the workout library. I'm thinking that next time I will either increase the target intensity slightly or change the work/rest ratio (maybe 6 minutes on, 1 minute off).
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Starting Early
Last year, I barely rode my time trial bike. I rode it a couple times in July in preparation for my one race in early September... and that was about it. I might have logged 50 miles on it all year.
Not exactly the best way to get used to the very different position required for a solid aerodynamic position.
This year, I'm starting early. I have a possible race in March and two definite races in April and I spent two days on the bike this week: 2 hours on Sunday and 1 hour on Monday.
My position was not perfect, but it was also not painful or uncomfortable. I just got on the bike, got comfortable, and rode for two hours.
At first my power was kind of low, but if gradually climbed throughout the ride. I also threw in a 1-minute burst of power every ten minutes or so to get a feel for the higher intensities.
All told, I'm thrilled with how I did. If I do this just a couple more times, I'll be much more prepared for the spring:
I'm sure the experts can pick apart my pedal stroke and position. Just remember I have barely ridden that bike and I'm still re-adjusting:
Not exactly the best way to get used to the very different position required for a solid aerodynamic position.
This year, I'm starting early. I have a possible race in March and two definite races in April and I spent two days on the bike this week: 2 hours on Sunday and 1 hour on Monday.
My position was not perfect, but it was also not painful or uncomfortable. I just got on the bike, got comfortable, and rode for two hours.
At first my power was kind of low, but if gradually climbed throughout the ride. I also threw in a 1-minute burst of power every ten minutes or so to get a feel for the higher intensities.
All told, I'm thrilled with how I did. If I do this just a couple more times, I'll be much more prepared for the spring:
I'm sure the experts can pick apart my pedal stroke and position. Just remember I have barely ridden that bike and I'm still re-adjusting:
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Better than the Best
Yesterday was my first threshold test since the end of November. With our travel schedule, it didn't make sense for me to test in December.
It's been about 9 weeks since my last test. My power numbers through January were good, but a little lower than I wanted. My previous test I hit 282 watts for 20 minutes and I was ecstatic. It was the best 20 minute power I had ever seen in my life. Given my records for January, I thought I might be able to hit 275 to 280.
Like all my tests, I do them on the Computrainer for consistency. I want the exact same conditions and course. If I did them outdoors, a warm or cold day or a change in wind (or a freak rain or snow storm) could completely ruin the value of the test.
I did my normal warmup, about 30 minutes on a varying course with some short climbs, some short descents, and some flats to get me thoroughly ready.
At the end of the warmup, I recalibrated the Computrainer in order to make sure that the readings were accurate. As it turns out, they were way off. Without going into the details, the values were off in a way that would make all my power numbers lower than they actually were. I was really focused on the test, so my brain didn't quite register the significance of that.
I try to pace the 20 minute by breaking it into quarters, usually going hard the first one, backing off a bit, and then gradually increasing throughout. Watching the average power over the course is abit strange because usually the average is increasing the first 5 minutes, dropping the middle 10 minutes, and then either gaining or holding steady for the last 5. This lets me practice the way I usually try to race as well, starting off strong, and then settling in a rhythm that lets me slowly gain speed throughout (instead of starting out too hard and burning out).
At the end of the first 5 minutes, my average was at 298 watts. I was worried that it was a little high, but I felt good and kept going.
At the end of 10 minutes, my average was at 294 watts. At that point, I was pretty sure that I could beat my old record. As long as I did not completely crack, I should be able to hang on for at least 290. That was quite a challenge, since I was already giving it everything that I had. I was breathing hard and my legs were burning.
At the end of 15 minutes, my average was at 291 watts. It annoyed me. Somehow, I had decided that I wanted to hit 292, not 291. My legs were starting to really ache and my breathing was really hard. Still, I dug as deep as I could.
With a minute to go, I saw the average power tick back up from 291 to 292. Just hang on.... I thought. I picked up the pace just a little more, to be safe. I saw the power tick up to 295 to 300 watts. Just another minute...
I felt the resistance from the trainer shift under my legs, telling me that the test was over. I looked at the average power: 292 watts. A new personal best by 10 watts.
To see the graph for the workout: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/QV4ENHSVE6BOQYJ7VO7NIO4KUQ
Over the next few minutes, as oxygen returned to my brain and I could both breathe and think at the same time, I realized the significance of my calibration being off. For the last month, I thought I was putting out less power than I actually was. I thought I was doing well, but I was actually doing even better. The trainer was reporting lower power numbers than I was actually generating. Most likely, I never reset it after one of our power outages.
The significance of the new power number goes even deeper when you consider that I lost 8 pounds since the last test. Watts per kilogram is a major metric for cyclists. Comparing the two tests:
That's an 8.4% increase!
I'm also starting to see races show up on the calendar. It looks like my first race could be the Readington Time Trial in New Jersey, a 9 km (5.6 mile) time trial. It's short, but will be a good time to see how well my position on my bike is working and how well I can do under race-day pressure.
A while back, someone asked me what my goal was. Kind of kidding, I said 300 watts for 20 minutes. Now, I think I might just get there.
It's been about 9 weeks since my last test. My power numbers through January were good, but a little lower than I wanted. My previous test I hit 282 watts for 20 minutes and I was ecstatic. It was the best 20 minute power I had ever seen in my life. Given my records for January, I thought I might be able to hit 275 to 280.
Like all my tests, I do them on the Computrainer for consistency. I want the exact same conditions and course. If I did them outdoors, a warm or cold day or a change in wind (or a freak rain or snow storm) could completely ruin the value of the test.
I did my normal warmup, about 30 minutes on a varying course with some short climbs, some short descents, and some flats to get me thoroughly ready.
At the end of the warmup, I recalibrated the Computrainer in order to make sure that the readings were accurate. As it turns out, they were way off. Without going into the details, the values were off in a way that would make all my power numbers lower than they actually were. I was really focused on the test, so my brain didn't quite register the significance of that.
I try to pace the 20 minute by breaking it into quarters, usually going hard the first one, backing off a bit, and then gradually increasing throughout. Watching the average power over the course is abit strange because usually the average is increasing the first 5 minutes, dropping the middle 10 minutes, and then either gaining or holding steady for the last 5. This lets me practice the way I usually try to race as well, starting off strong, and then settling in a rhythm that lets me slowly gain speed throughout (instead of starting out too hard and burning out).
At the end of the first 5 minutes, my average was at 298 watts. I was worried that it was a little high, but I felt good and kept going.
At the end of 10 minutes, my average was at 294 watts. At that point, I was pretty sure that I could beat my old record. As long as I did not completely crack, I should be able to hang on for at least 290. That was quite a challenge, since I was already giving it everything that I had. I was breathing hard and my legs were burning.
At the end of 15 minutes, my average was at 291 watts. It annoyed me. Somehow, I had decided that I wanted to hit 292, not 291. My legs were starting to really ache and my breathing was really hard. Still, I dug as deep as I could.
With a minute to go, I saw the average power tick back up from 291 to 292. Just hang on.... I thought. I picked up the pace just a little more, to be safe. I saw the power tick up to 295 to 300 watts. Just another minute...
I felt the resistance from the trainer shift under my legs, telling me that the test was over. I looked at the average power: 292 watts. A new personal best by 10 watts.
To see the graph for the workout: http://www.trainingpeaks.com/av/QV4ENHSVE6BOQYJ7VO7NIO4KUQ
Over the next few minutes, as oxygen returned to my brain and I could both breathe and think at the same time, I realized the significance of my calibration being off. For the last month, I thought I was putting out less power than I actually was. I thought I was doing well, but I was actually doing even better. The trainer was reporting lower power numbers than I was actually generating. Most likely, I never reset it after one of our power outages.
The significance of the new power number goes even deeper when you consider that I lost 8 pounds since the last test. Watts per kilogram is a major metric for cyclists. Comparing the two tests:
| Watts | Weight (lbs) | Watts/kg |
| 282 | 178.0 | 3.49 |
| 292 | 170.0 | 3.78 |
That's an 8.4% increase!
I'm also starting to see races show up on the calendar. It looks like my first race could be the Readington Time Trial in New Jersey, a 9 km (5.6 mile) time trial. It's short, but will be a good time to see how well my position on my bike is working and how well I can do under race-day pressure.
A while back, someone asked me what my goal was. Kind of kidding, I said 300 watts for 20 minutes. Now, I think I might just get there.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Third Round Success
I've had several weight loss targets this year.
I wanted to be 178 before leaving for Vegas, 174 before Christmas, and 170 for my birthday (today).
I can now say that I've hit all three. I'm now just a hair under 170 pounds.
My major goal is to stay there for the next year. While I do plan to lose a few more pounds, my goal is to have "a year of being at a good racing weight" as the present I give myself for my 40th birthday. I figure that if I can spend a year at this weight, that it should re-ingrain the habits in me that let me stay at that weight going into my 40's.
To better quantify my weight loss, I've also tracked my body fat percentage and my body measurements (all measurements are in inches):
I'm probably looking to lose another 3 or 4 pounds before the start of racing season in April. That's a much slower loss than I've had so far, but I'll be ramping up the intensity of my training and I will need the extra fuel.
I wanted to be 178 before leaving for Vegas, 174 before Christmas, and 170 for my birthday (today).
I can now say that I've hit all three. I'm now just a hair under 170 pounds.
My major goal is to stay there for the next year. While I do plan to lose a few more pounds, my goal is to have "a year of being at a good racing weight" as the present I give myself for my 40th birthday. I figure that if I can spend a year at this weight, that it should re-ingrain the habits in me that let me stay at that weight going into my 40's.
To better quantify my weight loss, I've also tracked my body fat percentage and my body measurements (all measurements are in inches):
| Date | 7/15/12 | 10/27/12 | 11/24/12 | 12/23/12 | 1/27/13 |
| Weight | 193.0 | 182.0 | 175.8 | 174.0 | 169.8 |
| Body Fat | 23.3% | 20.3% | 19.4% | 18.0% | 17.8% |
| Chest | 37 3/4 | 36 2/4 | 36 2/4 | 36 | 35 2/4 |
| Waist | 38 1/4 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| Hip | 42 | 40 2/4 | 39 3/4 | 39 1/4 | 39 |
| Thigh | 26 2/4 | 25 | 25 | 24 3/4 | 24 2/4 |
I'm probably looking to lose another 3 or 4 pounds before the start of racing season in April. That's a much slower loss than I've had so far, but I'll be ramping up the intensity of my training and I will need the extra fuel.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
The Home Stretch
My goal is to be 170 pounds by my birthday next weekend.
As of today, I'm 170.8. I've been pretty consistently losing 1.0 to 1.2 pounds a week, so I'm pretty confident that I can do it.
After that, I'm planning to slow down and just lose 5 more pounds by the end of March, putting me at 165. Given my love of nice round numbers, I might try to hit 164 just so that I can say that I lost 30 pounds from my start at 194 last August.
After three weeks back on the bike, my body is back in the rhythm again. I lost a little bit of power at VO2 max from the weird travel schedules through December, but I should be able to get that back pretty quickly.
The biggest problem I've had is getting substantial rides in. With it being very cold outside, I have not been riding outside at lunch. My lunch time rides tend to only be an hour, but they are usually pretty intense.
My rides on the trainer have been a little shorter due to very early or very late scheduled meetings, which have cut into my riding before and after work. I still get in 2-hour rides on the weekends, but my normal hour to hour and fifteen minute rides during the week have been cropped down to 45 minutes. With the drop in time, I'm not doing as many intervals.
Still, it's January. I don't expect to be at peak racing fitness for several more months.
My biggest worry right now is not getting sick. With the flu really tearing people apart this year, I really don't want to catch it!
As of today, I'm 170.8. I've been pretty consistently losing 1.0 to 1.2 pounds a week, so I'm pretty confident that I can do it.
After that, I'm planning to slow down and just lose 5 more pounds by the end of March, putting me at 165. Given my love of nice round numbers, I might try to hit 164 just so that I can say that I lost 30 pounds from my start at 194 last August.
After three weeks back on the bike, my body is back in the rhythm again. I lost a little bit of power at VO2 max from the weird travel schedules through December, but I should be able to get that back pretty quickly.
The biggest problem I've had is getting substantial rides in. With it being very cold outside, I have not been riding outside at lunch. My lunch time rides tend to only be an hour, but they are usually pretty intense.
My rides on the trainer have been a little shorter due to very early or very late scheduled meetings, which have cut into my riding before and after work. I still get in 2-hour rides on the weekends, but my normal hour to hour and fifteen minute rides during the week have been cropped down to 45 minutes. With the drop in time, I'm not doing as many intervals.
Still, it's January. I don't expect to be at peak racing fitness for several more months.
My biggest worry right now is not getting sick. With the flu really tearing people apart this year, I really don't want to catch it!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Out of Whack
It's really amazing how much of an affect 9 days off the bike can have on you.
We got back on Sunday and I started riding again on Monday.
My endurance is really diminished. Just ten days earlier, I had ridden at 235 watts for 90 minutes. On Tuesday, I barely held 200 watts for 45 minutes. Before we left, I was doing 2 hour training rides both days of every weekend. On Saturday, I could barely stay on for 90 minutes.
My high end capacity is really painful. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to hold 350 watts for 5 minutes. On Wednesday, I could barely hold 300 watts for 2 minutes.
Of course, during all of this, my heart rate is running way above normal.
I know that by the end of next week, my body should be more or less back to normal, but it does not make this any less annoying.
On the plus side, my weight is below pre-Christmas levels. This morning I was 173.0.
We got back on Sunday and I started riding again on Monday.
My endurance is really diminished. Just ten days earlier, I had ridden at 235 watts for 90 minutes. On Tuesday, I barely held 200 watts for 45 minutes. Before we left, I was doing 2 hour training rides both days of every weekend. On Saturday, I could barely stay on for 90 minutes.
My high end capacity is really painful. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to hold 350 watts for 5 minutes. On Wednesday, I could barely hold 300 watts for 2 minutes.
Of course, during all of this, my heart rate is running way above normal.
I know that by the end of next week, my body should be more or less back to normal, but it does not make this any less annoying.
On the plus side, my weight is below pre-Christmas levels. This morning I was 173.0.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Break Time is Over
For the last 12 weeks, I've been gaining fitness and losing weight consistently, which I'm really happy about.
I'm really surprised that I was able to do so, given some of the craziness in my schedule. I was gone for a week in October for vacation, I was gone for a week in November for a conference for work, and I was gone for a week in December to see our families for Christmas.
Add in several days with meetings or rain preventing me from riding at lunch or late meetings that prevented me from riding at night, I had to make sure that my training schedule was as efficient as I could make it.
For the next 12 weeks, I don't have any trips planned. I have some of my bigger goals scheduled, though.
I came back from Christmas at 174.6 pounds. I expected to gain a pound or two, but I barely gained nay weight at all. I'm trying to figure out if I'm dehydrated or something. Despite doing nothing but sitting and eating for 8 days, I only gained 0.8 pounds. My body measurements were the same as they were when I left.
At any rate, I should be able to make my first goal of 170 pounds by my birthday on Jan 27. Once I make that, I will slow down the weight loss so that I can increase my training intensity, aiming for 165 pounds by March 30. Once I'm there, I plan to maintain that weight or maybe drift up to 168.
I plan to test my 20 minute power on February 2. My last test was 282 watts, the best I've ever done. If I can match that again, I'll be happy, but I'd really like to increase it to 285 watts.
My next test after that is March 30 (8 weeks later), when I want to hit 290 watts.
After that, it's racing season! I'm not 100% sure of what races I'll do, but some that I'm considering:
I'm really surprised that I was able to do so, given some of the craziness in my schedule. I was gone for a week in October for vacation, I was gone for a week in November for a conference for work, and I was gone for a week in December to see our families for Christmas.
Add in several days with meetings or rain preventing me from riding at lunch or late meetings that prevented me from riding at night, I had to make sure that my training schedule was as efficient as I could make it.
For the next 12 weeks, I don't have any trips planned. I have some of my bigger goals scheduled, though.
I came back from Christmas at 174.6 pounds. I expected to gain a pound or two, but I barely gained nay weight at all. I'm trying to figure out if I'm dehydrated or something. Despite doing nothing but sitting and eating for 8 days, I only gained 0.8 pounds. My body measurements were the same as they were when I left.
At any rate, I should be able to make my first goal of 170 pounds by my birthday on Jan 27. Once I make that, I will slow down the weight loss so that I can increase my training intensity, aiming for 165 pounds by March 30. Once I'm there, I plan to maintain that weight or maybe drift up to 168.
I plan to test my 20 minute power on February 2. My last test was 282 watts, the best I've ever done. If I can match that again, I'll be happy, but I'd really like to increase it to 285 watts.
My next test after that is March 30 (8 weeks later), when I want to hit 290 watts.
After that, it's racing season! I'm not 100% sure of what races I'll do, but some that I'm considering:
- C-130 Time trial (May, 20 miles, Dover, DE)
- PA State Time Trial (June)
- Church Creek Time Trials (June and August, 40K, Church Creek, MD)
- Lake Nockamixon Time Trial (July, 20K.... I don't have a good history with that race but I realy want to do well in it just once)
- Ernie Simpson (September, 20K, Pine Grove State Furnace, PA)
Saturday, December 15, 2012
On Track
The Vegas trip did not do too much damage to my weight loss progress. In 4 days of eating everything in sight and no cycling, I gained 1.2 pounds back. I was 176.2 the day I left and 177.4 the day I got back.
Considering how fast I lost it, I think a lot of that was retained water from eating french fries with most meals.
Two weeks later, I'm down to 175.2 and 18.2% body fat. I wanted to be 175 by Christmas, so I think I'm on track for that.
I totally expect that I'll gain some weight back over the Christmas holiday. If I can hit New Years at 174 to 175, I should be able to reach 170 by my birthday on January 27.
I'm starting to look at a stopping point now. Once I get to February and March, I will be starting more intense training for racing season, so I will need to slow down my weight loss a bit from 1 pound per week to maybe a half pound per week. If I can get down to 165, I think I can call that a good stopping point.
If I get down to that weight, I'll be thrilled. Between losing weight and reaching new power records, I should be faster than ever by spring.
Considering how fast I lost it, I think a lot of that was retained water from eating french fries with most meals.
Two weeks later, I'm down to 175.2 and 18.2% body fat. I wanted to be 175 by Christmas, so I think I'm on track for that.
I totally expect that I'll gain some weight back over the Christmas holiday. If I can hit New Years at 174 to 175, I should be able to reach 170 by my birthday on January 27.
I'm starting to look at a stopping point now. Once I get to February and March, I will be starting more intense training for racing season, so I will need to slow down my weight loss a bit from 1 pound per week to maybe a half pound per week. If I can get down to 165, I think I can call that a good stopping point.
If I get down to that weight, I'll be thrilled. Between losing weight and reaching new power records, I should be faster than ever by spring.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Break time
It's conference time! I pretty much won't get to train this week.
I'll be in Vegas, staying at a hotel that charges $20 for every time you want to use the gym. I'll be 3 hours off from my normal sleeping pattern, so I expect to be a bit of a mess. Perfect for a rest/recovery week from the bike.
At once point, I made the comment here that my weight could be "as low as" 177 by this time. As of this morning, I'm 176.2. I'm very happy about that. That's a loss of 17.8 pounds since July.
Fatigue-wise, I'm really ready for the break. The last few days, I could feel all the accumulated stress in my legs from riding pretty intensely for the last 6 weeks since vacation. I got a little bit of a break the week of the hurricane, but not much. My legs really need this.
I'm hoping not to gain too much weight back this week. I put it on the training plan as 1.4 pounds. I know, it's a lot, but I figured I'd plan for the worst.
Keeping in mind that I'll be off training for 10 days around Christmas and will probably gain weight then, I'm still looking at being at 170 by my birthday. After that, I'll slow down the loss and focus more on being race-fit (165 or so) for the races in April.
I'll be in Vegas, staying at a hotel that charges $20 for every time you want to use the gym. I'll be 3 hours off from my normal sleeping pattern, so I expect to be a bit of a mess. Perfect for a rest/recovery week from the bike.
At once point, I made the comment here that my weight could be "as low as" 177 by this time. As of this morning, I'm 176.2. I'm very happy about that. That's a loss of 17.8 pounds since July.
Fatigue-wise, I'm really ready for the break. The last few days, I could feel all the accumulated stress in my legs from riding pretty intensely for the last 6 weeks since vacation. I got a little bit of a break the week of the hurricane, but not much. My legs really need this.
I'm hoping not to gain too much weight back this week. I put it on the training plan as 1.4 pounds. I know, it's a lot, but I figured I'd plan for the worst.
Keeping in mind that I'll be off training for 10 days around Christmas and will probably gain weight then, I'm still looking at being at 170 by my birthday. After that, I'll slow down the loss and focus more on being race-fit (165 or so) for the races in April.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Defining My Best
My recent record-breaking rides have me wondering: how do I define "the best shape ever"?
Going by weight, I'm not even close. I'm at 178 pounds and 19.4% body fat right now. My best there was 161 pounds and 13%.
Going by sprint power, that was 1300 watts for 5 seconds. I'm barely hitting 1100 these days (though I sprint maybe once every 2 weeks in the winter).
Beyond that, the numbers have gotten more interesting.
Below are a few numbers: The best I had ever done until July 2012 (when I started my current training program, which is focused on FTP and VO2 intensities) and the test numbers from the last
week:
So... am I in the best shape of my life? Maybe.
If nothing else, I can definitely say that my new training program is working very well.
PS: That might be the last table I ever post. That was a major pain in the ass to get it to format right!
Going by weight, I'm not even close. I'm at 178 pounds and 19.4% body fat right now. My best there was 161 pounds and 13%.
Going by sprint power, that was 1300 watts for 5 seconds. I'm barely hitting 1100 these days (though I sprint maybe once every 2 weeks in the winter).
Beyond that, the numbers have gotten more interesting.
Below are a few numbers: The best I had ever done until July 2012 (when I started my current training program, which is focused on FTP and VO2 intensities) and the test numbers from the last
week:
| Pre-July 2012 | Nov 2012 | Wattage | Percent | |
| Best 5:00 | 320 watts | 341 watts | 21 watts | 6.6% |
| Best 8:00 | 295 watts | 324 watts | 29 watts | 9.8% |
| Best 20:00 | 268 watts | 282 watts | 14 watts | 5.2% |
So... am I in the best shape of my life? Maybe.
If nothing else, I can definitely say that my new training program is working very well.
PS: That might be the last table I ever post. That was a major pain in the ass to get it to format right!
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