April Training Steve

Because I am different (Hey don't I say that every time?) I have had to modify the schedule, so Wednesday was my 7x5 Min LT. Expecting rain and having to stay home to watch kids, put me into the basement on the col du painte can. Despit how hard I pushed, the perceived exertion was high, I could not get anywhere near my target numbers. I was frustrated as hell. During the 6th interval Bill popped in to give me his good news of wattage breakthrough (see his post, the power rat bastard). Which only added to my frustration. (Sorry Bill for not being as enthusiastic as I should have for such great numbers.) I finished the 7th interval as poorly as the first 6. This was the first time in over a month that I used the trainer as opposed to the rollers and I can only speculate that there is some combination of q-rings and fluid resistance that creates false readings in the power tap hub, because the legs and lungs sure felt much worse than the numbers showed. In addition I have the evidence of real world readings from previous rides that show my sustainable wattage. (Jeff any ideas on that?) Work function this evening will kill another training day, so let's hope I can get into the park tomorrow. Good to see your posts guys!

APRIL 3, 2009

Work has me still trying to catch up to the schedule so today was my Bridging Efforts day. As others have posted Friday was windy as all get out even in the Park. Never the less, every three minutes I spooled up the FTL and jumped. As Bill commented this is the type of training I hate, but which has the most beneficial effects for me. The efforts are brutal but the hardest part to get right were the tempo intervals at the front and back of the workout. The rolling terrain of the park makes it very difficult to stay in tempo range, at least for me. All in al a good workout followed by the FA Auction and seeing Bill have his "FACE" on again while modeling the latest in Garmin Chipotile/ Jonathan Vaughters fashion. Saturday in the Park and I don't think it is the fourth of July (TT saddle set up).

APRIL 4, 2009

Spent an easy hour plus in the Park on the TT bike getting used to the new Admiral Adamo saddle. It did not take too much to get the position close but I will have to spend more saddle time to make sure I am dialed in. Bill kept me company and gave me the detailed run down on last weekend's race. Sounds way too fast for me. The ride was easy, but the post ride yard work kicked my butt. Hopefully I have something left for Sunday.

APRIL 5, 2009

Bill, Dre' and I meet up with Renagades Jack, Gus and Scott for some KOM race tactics in the Park. Tactics are all well and good except when there is a beast by the name of Bill in the group in which case all you can do is try to block him in and hope to neutralize his advantage. None of that worked very well and Bill proved that those big wattage numbers are for reall. A lot of good work by Dre' and the 'Gades. Today I am whipped and will take all the rest I can get.

APRIL 7, 2009

Short on time because of family commitments I knew I could not get all 8 LT intervals in, so I increased the intervals by a minute each and kept the rest period the same. I did these in the back side of the park which meant some wide deviations in power due to the terrain, but overall they went well. I did notice that I was able to maintain a more consistent and higher power level at 80 rpm as opposed to 70 rpm. I also noticed significantly more knee discomfort afterwards. Looks like after nine years of working at higher cadences I am no longer a masher. Hope to get to the park again Wednesday for bridging efforts.

APRIL 8, 2009

You should not burn your bridges, but your bridges sure can burn your legs! I hit the Park for the Bridging Efforts on Wednesday not sure how they would go since my legs were still sore from Tuesday's LT intervals. The Tempo warm up seemed harder than it should so I was worried as I hit the pain counter for the first jump. Lungs, legs, arms and eyeballs, everything hurt! But, with the internal cry of "you pussy", I kept going. A quick review of the power data showed that I kept all over 41o watts average power. Some were lower than last week's intervals, but the work level this week has been higher and the power numbers more consistent. The purpose of the intervals is to put forth maximal efforts whatever they are and power is merely a gauge of progress over time. Factoring in fatigue and that the cylon paste has not fully cured on my hull; I don't feel too bad. Good to see Ed and Jinksy out for their work, even if Jinks was playing mind games with me about doing the wrong workout!

APRIL 9, 2009

In the park on the TT rig for tempo and LT intervals. The first tempo interval again seemed harder than it should, and the numbers again were more variable than I would have liked. The LT interval went fairly well and again verified my power stroke cadence in the high eighties low nineties. The last tempo interval felt like recovery, especially the last half which I did on the flat side of the park. I was able to peg the top end of tempo and hold it without much perceived exertion. I expected to see some Bikeworks bretheren but by 5:30 no one had shown. I guess that is why they call it an individual TT. I am feeling the affects of the training in terms of fatigue and look forward to Friday's rest. Back to the Beach for more wind tunnel testing next week.

APRIL 12, 2009

When is a sprint not a sprint? When it is the 16th sprint at the end of the bookends workout. I think the last "sprint" was all of five pedal strokes. In actuality the bookends although hard were not too bad. Except for the last one. That one kicked my butt. I did them both into the wind and down wind to see the difference. The answer was about 10 mph. They are very much like my racing experience, sprint watch the pack pull away, TT to the back, sprint watch the pack pull away and repeat! Rest on Monday and back to the grind Tuesday weather permitting.

APRIL 14, 2009

Monday sure did not seem like much rest, but it was back to work with 10 min climbing LT intervals. I did these outside and tried to do each interval into the 15 mph headwind and made sure to keep the cadence below 80 rpm. At the end of the last interval I did feel some pre- cramp warnings in my quads but a long spin out afterwards resolved that issue. Numbers are as follows: 163 bpm, 75 rpm, 305 watts/ 167 bpm, 75 rpm, 301 watts/ 166 bpm, 74 rpm, 300 watts.

APRIL 15, 2009

A taxing day. I left the OBX at 9:30 to be in town for a public hearing, on the way learned I needed to meet with a commissioner at 5:00 prior to the 7:30 hearing. I hoped to get into the park and get the prescribed workout in. No such luck, work and rain screwed that pooch. I managed to get on the rollers for an hour with some tempo work, but the motivation and legs just were not there with all the other pressures. Today was a ride back to the OBX and into heavy winds, 50 degree temps and kids driving the wife nut. My ride for the day was 3 times around the block with the 6 year old.

APRIL 17,2009

By the end of the day the weather finally turned for the better, so I went out for 2 hr E ride. The winds are still pretty high. I was going at 23 mph spinning at 88 with power numbers in the 160's. Better weather today will have me out for an hour or so with the race wheels on dong an equipment check for Sunday. It is looking more likely that I will race with the old guys Sunday morning and miss the Cat 4 fun. Cheers to the BWR crew at the sponsor function and on race day!

APRIL 18, 2009

Bike and wheels set for Casey Auto Crit. Ready for takeoff!

APRIL 19, 2009

See separate Race Report Post

APRIL 21, 2009

Monday I felt really good, no chance to spin due to work and family. Tuesday was an hour of E, but man were my legs tight! 40 minutes outside then 20 on the rollers. Moderate pain in the hips, lower back and IT. Sleepless nights as the TDE approaches!

APRIL 28, 2009

In search of answers for the two year drop in climbing ability, despite perceived greater fitness, I modified the Q-Ring setup on my bike to a lesser power positiion and more spin. The drop in climbing performance does coincide with the change from spin to power on the Q-Rings, so there is some rational basis for the adjustment. Dre' also found that I was missing a chain ring bolt. Clearly that accounts for the loss of power transfer to the rear wheel in the Tour de Manure. Easy spin and lawn chores for me today. Back to work Wednesday

APRIL 29, 2009

I thought I would make Wednsday Tuesday on the ol' workout schedule, that is until I ran into Bill in the Park. Coach Bill said Wednesday is Wednesday and there is no escaping it. So there I was, stuck with Bridging Intervals under the watchful eye of Coach Bunny Hop Bill. Actually he was not so watchful since we were doing them together. The first set I would jump then he would wait 5 seconds and jump across to/past me. the next two sets we simulated race scenarios where we would react to the other's jump. Having a carrot and stick made these intervals much harder, but in a masochistic way much more enjoyable. Today I am feeling the effort in the legs, but it is all good. The other good thing is that I want to race now and am frustrated by schedules that are not allowing it.