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Lots more interesting commentary, idle threats, and motivating vignettes. Go to FaceBook now! We will be updating events from our Team camp several times each day!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Steve's March to Madness
3/6/10
Building bridges with the BWR boys and getting burned in the process. Those young guys sure are fast. Jumping from the pack and then holding is good training for the real thing come race time.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sat Team Ride
Sat Team ride: 12:30 @ the shop. We will be doing Bridging Intervals and the more, the merrier. It will help with getting across to a break, breaking away, and closing gaps that occur in a splintering field. 1min full power, 2min recovery=1 rep. Come!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Join Us At FaceBook!
Lots more interesting commentary, idle threats, and motivating vignettes. Go to FaceBook now!
Twister (hoping the snow stops in Feb)
Friday after work I suited up and rode around a little to test the snow and wound up trying to push a small pickup that was blocking traffic up Cowan. Why do people go out unprepared? At times it must seem crazy to the people in their cars that people brave the elements on a bike, but if worst comes to worst the bike can be thrown on the shoulder and hiked with . . . . . so after doing my good deed for the day I made it home and emailed Bill to see if a snow ride was in order for the weekend. But the power decided to go out . . . . early Saturday morning I rode out to see is anything was open. I had to adjust tire pressure a couple of times, and had to avoid a large downed tree on River Rd, but other than that it was un eventful. Coming in from the cold to the cold was a little rough, but after a few beers I mellowed out and slept like a log. Sunday (this morning) I awoke and swore off all snow riding until I get studded tires or til I meet with Bill or Jinks. Trainer time has never seemed as sweet as it was today . . . . . I rode at a recovery/ E pace, which was just enough to keep the cold at bay until the power came back on . . . . right now I'm looking forward to then Tradezone this weekend . . . . . !
Since the last post I've been working out but have had to switch the workouts around a little. I ended up going out a little during the last snow storm, but it was like riding around in the remains of a slushy . . . . so once back inside I warmed up and did my LT workout. My main focus was staying in the saddle and not changing gears too often. I spent the rest of the day with my feet up trying to recover . . . .
Feb 13th - Rode down to meet Bill for some quality E riding time. All in all it was a good session, but during the couple of leg opening sprints all I could do was pray, grit my teeth and hammer. And even doing all of that I got dropped . . . . After the ride I started to bonk pretty hard, so I hit GNC for some protein drinks. My legs feel pretty congested right now . . . . not sure if that is the right description, but I'm hoping keeping them elevated and a light massage later will have me ready for tomorrow. As long as the TT bikes stay home I should be good . . . .
Feb 14th - I want to write a long detailed description of the ride, but whatever energy I have left is being put towards recovery. I was glad to see everyone come out . . . I'm sure we all will be stronger for it.
I'll try for a description tomorrow . . . . . hopefully the muscle pain and chafing will be better by then . . . !
Feb 18th - Karma seems to have come around and bitten me in the a#$ . . . . This morning I had a great ride, even though the night before was spent eating sushi and keeping my lady friend from getting too loud at the bar. I figured working up a sweat would pump some of the toxins out of my system . . . . it worked so well that after work I rode again and had a slight mechanical - broken shifter cable. After cursing my luck in general I realized I would have to climb the stepp hill on River Rd to get home in the 12 tooth, which at the time didn't sound like fun. When the time came I managed to make it up the hill . . . . but it wasn't pretty. And it is really time for an upgrade to 10 speed shifters on the Lemond . . . changing cassettes back and forth on the powertap is a pain . . . .
Since the last post I've been working out but have had to switch the workouts around a little. I ended up going out a little during the last snow storm, but it was like riding around in the remains of a slushy . . . . so once back inside I warmed up and did my LT workout. My main focus was staying in the saddle and not changing gears too often. I spent the rest of the day with my feet up trying to recover . . . .
Feb 13th - Rode down to meet Bill for some quality E riding time. All in all it was a good session, but during the couple of leg opening sprints all I could do was pray, grit my teeth and hammer. And even doing all of that I got dropped . . . . After the ride I started to bonk pretty hard, so I hit GNC for some protein drinks. My legs feel pretty congested right now . . . . not sure if that is the right description, but I'm hoping keeping them elevated and a light massage later will have me ready for tomorrow. As long as the TT bikes stay home I should be good . . . .
Feb 14th - I want to write a long detailed description of the ride, but whatever energy I have left is being put towards recovery. I was glad to see everyone come out . . . I'm sure we all will be stronger for it.
I'll try for a description tomorrow . . . . . hopefully the muscle pain and chafing will be better by then . . . !
Feb 18th - Karma seems to have come around and bitten me in the a#$ . . . . This morning I had a great ride, even though the night before was spent eating sushi and keeping my lady friend from getting too loud at the bar. I figured working up a sweat would pump some of the toxins out of my system . . . . it worked so well that after work I rode again and had a slight mechanical - broken shifter cable. After cursing my luck in general I realized I would have to climb the stepp hill on River Rd to get home in the 12 tooth, which at the time didn't sound like fun. When the time came I managed to make it up the hill . . . . but it wasn't pretty. And it is really time for an upgrade to 10 speed shifters on the Lemond . . . changing cassettes back and forth on the powertap is a pain . . . .
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Jeff’s February LTS
With the snow expected this weekend, I planned to ride in the park today and get in a good Lt ride to help build my confidence, knowing that the next 3-4 days would properly have to be more time on the trainer.
4 x 10 min Lt was the goal and all when very well, i was able to hit my 280 watts arvg. Over the entire work out I only dropped 6 watts, Although the 4 went good I don't believe I had a 5th in me, I cooled down and headed back to my car with a feeling of satisfaction.
4 x 10 min Lt was the goal and all when very well, i was able to hit my 280 watts arvg. Over the entire work out I only dropped 6 watts, Although the 4 went good I don't believe I had a 5th in me, I cooled down and headed back to my car with a feeling of satisfaction.
Evans Pain Center
I'M OUT FOR A ROAD RIDE!
2/4
I had one of those breakthrough training sessions tonight that's so worth posting. I reckon 60% of my posts are negative about how I did. Let's face it, we cyclists are hard on ourselves for so many reasons. "Nobody sees me sweating in the basement", "It's so expensive", "If they could only see my frostbite, saddlesores, tendinitis, road rash, pinkeye..." It's so easy to loose site of the prize-friends who KNOW, experience true views, etc. Well tonight I get to wax poetic about a training session that I finally beat! As you can see from the above snapshot, it was an over/under workout to help break up the long LT reps. I drop almost 30 watts when I'm training indoors based on the two and a half years of comparisons, so the numbers might look low, but THIS trainer ain't exactly new nor smooth.
The last attempt(two weeks ago) I fell apart in the second complete(2minLT/2min Above) rep and totally melted by the 3rd. Today I kept it together all three 12min reps. It wasn't easy, but I've certainly turned a corner after last weeks recovery. I do what YoungGun does and focus on the speed that I know equates to my watt #. This was about 22mph and 25.5mph and keeps from chasing the wattage(it usually dips and that's expected). I'm happy.
2/6
One pedal-stroke. That's it. Read something else.
2/7
Had the hardest and shortest ride thus far. Speed begins. I did max efforts of 3x2min(3 min recovery-400watts), 3x1min(3 recovery-480watts), 3x30sec(2recovery-750 watts). Total time was under an hour and I'm still cloudy/crampy two hours later. LT will continue in two days, so I've got to recover Quickly.
2/8
I got two solid hours of E done. Every 15 minutes or so, I would jump off for 50 reps of some upper-body muscle group and get back to it. Nothing too hard before tomorrow's 5x10min LTs.
2/9
That's the most I've ever done. I was able to complete 5x10min with the higher values coming on the 4th and 5th rep. I finished off the last rep with a "sprint." Averaged between 275-290 for the reps-good # for me indoors.
Interesting that my highest power output came with a 96rpm cadence. It was also my slowest speed by almost 1/2 a mph. The reps at 86rpm were lower HR but easiest PE and fastest. I tried an 80 rpm and I did it, but had to dig deep into muscle force just to complete. Finished with "Shovervals".
2/10
Just "Shovervals".
2/11
I just completed my 2x30min High Tempo intervals. The second was difficult in an accumulation effect. I choose a number that would be just about 10-20 watts below my LT and that equated to 23.6mph avg. Now, Here is where I made the workout difficult. I choose cadences from 65-75rpms, which activated the deep muscle and connectors. THAT hurt! If I am tired for the DD TT, I know that I can ride it in tempo and still finish in 1:07. 2-2-Go beat me last year by 3 min. LAST year!
2/13
Twister and went out for several hours on the TT bike. Position is starting to feel great!
2/14
The team ride was fantastic. I fell apart in the last two miles and was dropped. I almost fought back within a few hundred meters when Twister fell off the pace too. The video on the FaceBook page says it all.
2/16
Trainer Fail. Me, that is. Time for a few rest days.
2/19
I met Jeff, Twister, and Jinksy in the park. I was doing Climbing LT intervals, get this...on an actual hill! I completed 24 trips up the Col Du Civile Warre. There were 4 gear changes to keep in the appropriate zone(the last 4 I used a different selection). It was great to have company on the trips up. Those guys just dropped their plans to keep me company. I was toasty by the last two reps and could not reciprocate by riding with them afterwords. Sorry guys.
2/20
3+ hours of E with the YoungGun.
2/21
Wow! That was the hardest workout of the year thus far. I am really amazed at how strong physically, mentally, and tactically we are this year. We did 5x12min KOM teams. I know I did more than 25 sprints and a heck of a lot of bridging intervals. There were many times I was just pummeled. The good news was that there were others in the same situation. Perfect training and incredible videos of the events. I don't know how many other teams are hammering each other under containment rules like we are. And I feel even closer to my mates for it. We really miss you on these Jordan.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Floppin' in February
2/15/10
Dre' helped me drop the front deck of the TT machine to it's lowest poisition so now I am low and ready to go. An hour of recovery riding in the new low position did not reveal any problems, probably because it has been six months since I have been on the TT bike and it is all new again anyway.
2/14/10
So who says you actually have to ride a bike to train? EVERYONE! Off the Front's February SlugFest saw me have my ass handed to me on Dirt Yard Hill. You can hide and ride strategically until it's power time, then it's all about what you got. I had nothing, so I watched Young Gun, OTF, Twister and El Gato? ride off. The ITT work hopefully will pay off. (It was a nasty wind at times though.)
2/11/10
I found this contraption in my basement that has two wheels so I decided to put it on this strange looking rolling pin platform. 5 x 5.5 LT's later I was sweating like an oldie.
2/7/10
Started shoveling at 8:30 finished at 5:00, just enough time to watch the WWE, oh I mean the NFL. Never have seen such blatant game manipulation by the league. Guess I just have to learn it's entertainment not sport anymore.
2/4/10
This is the workout I've been waiting for. A real breakout performance... oh wait a minute that was someone else! For me it was 2 1/2 hours of stacking firewood in preparation for the weekend's storm. Good news is that the stacking required what amounts to weighted step ups so I at least got some leg work in.
2/3/10
Thanks to all for posting encouragement. As I was talking to Bill on the phone, and sharing flushing sound effects, I was also putting on the bibs for a trainer ride. After some sharing of the grievances I just rode E for an hour while watching Caprica and SG Atlantis reruns. It is what it is.
2/2/10
Left early from another stress day at the office determined to workout on the bike. Warm up OK. Ten minute tempo not comfortable but better by the end. Ten minute LT hard, but power picked up by the end with steady cadence. Five minute recovery what's not to like. Start of next ten minute LT and I could not get the power going. It was like my legs turned off and with it my motivation. Reading everyone's blogs about superb training is just making me more depressed as opposed to inspired. Perhaps I need the warm glow of earth's yellow sun to restore my powers?
2/1/10
Home late from work with no motivation to do anything but vegetate. Blahh
Dre' helped me drop the front deck of the TT machine to it's lowest poisition so now I am low and ready to go. An hour of recovery riding in the new low position did not reveal any problems, probably because it has been six months since I have been on the TT bike and it is all new again anyway.
2/14/10
So who says you actually have to ride a bike to train? EVERYONE! Off the Front's February SlugFest saw me have my ass handed to me on Dirt Yard Hill. You can hide and ride strategically until it's power time, then it's all about what you got. I had nothing, so I watched Young Gun, OTF, Twister and El Gato? ride off. The ITT work hopefully will pay off. (It was a nasty wind at times though.)
2/11/10
I found this contraption in my basement that has two wheels so I decided to put it on this strange looking rolling pin platform. 5 x 5.5 LT's later I was sweating like an oldie.
2/7/10
Started shoveling at 8:30 finished at 5:00, just enough time to watch the WWE, oh I mean the NFL. Never have seen such blatant game manipulation by the league. Guess I just have to learn it's entertainment not sport anymore.
2/4/10
This is the workout I've been waiting for. A real breakout performance... oh wait a minute that was someone else! For me it was 2 1/2 hours of stacking firewood in preparation for the weekend's storm. Good news is that the stacking required what amounts to weighted step ups so I at least got some leg work in.
2/3/10
Thanks to all for posting encouragement. As I was talking to Bill on the phone, and sharing flushing sound effects, I was also putting on the bibs for a trainer ride. After some sharing of the grievances I just rode E for an hour while watching Caprica and SG Atlantis reruns. It is what it is.
2/2/10
Left early from another stress day at the office determined to workout on the bike. Warm up OK. Ten minute tempo not comfortable but better by the end. Ten minute LT hard, but power picked up by the end with steady cadence. Five minute recovery what's not to like. Start of next ten minute LT and I could not get the power going. It was like my legs turned off and with it my motivation. Reading everyone's blogs about superb training is just making me more depressed as opposed to inspired. Perhaps I need the warm glow of earth's yellow sun to restore my powers?
2/1/10
Home late from work with no motivation to do anything but vegetate. Blahh
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
What's Happening Around Your Blog.?!
There are three things on the table right now. One, how did everyone get so strong this year!?. Two, what's up with Team Training Camp 2010. At this point, we are looking at the possibility of spending several days down on the Outer Bank at 2-2-Go's "cottage"(elevator included for a nominal fee). This will take place sometime in March, but keep some dates open, 'cause this is a no-miss event(rides, food, companionship, goals, beer, 2010 schedule, hot tub, rides, beer, etc). We'll let you know as soon as all the Ducks(Corolla) are in a row.
Finally, what's going on THIS weekend for riding? It looks like a bunch more of the cold, white stuff, so let's hang loose. We need a quality E ride, as well as a Team ride. I have a great idea(see below) for an intensity ride we will all remember. So really, this was a complete waste of time because nothing was really said. Call it BWR Bureaucracy!
El Patron
Finally, what's going on THIS weekend for riding? It looks like a bunch more of the cold, white stuff, so let's hang loose. We need a quality E ride, as well as a Team ride. I have a great idea(see below) for an intensity ride we will all remember. So really, this was a complete waste of time because nothing was really said. Call it BWR Bureaucracy!
El Patron
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Monday Ride
I've got Monday off and the weather looks to be another warm day in the 50's. I can't ride tomorrow and add to it that my girlfriend has to work Monday means I plan on doing a good long E ride. Anyone else have the day off and looking to ride? Start time no earlier than 10, later is always acceptable! Look for 2.5-3hrs. Anyone in?
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Jordan's January Jammin!
1/28/2010 - 1/31/2010
Took Thursday completely off. Friday, walked a 15% incline on the treadmill @ 17:00 pace, with 6 x 0:25 x 1:35 uphill runs @ 8:00 pace in the middle of the workout. Those were tough, but the variety was fun. Saturday was a pretty vanilla 2 hour ride on the trainer, 90:00 @ 200-250W. Sunday was going to be a ride, but I substituted 250 "snow squats" - scoop, bend at the knees, lift, dump snow, repeat... Too bad WKO+ doesn't have a way to quantify training stress for chores...
1/25/2010 - 1/27/2010
This is a rest & recovery week, so it's all about shorter, easier rides. Monday was 50 minutes of spin class, where I kept the resistance dial low and made sure the HR did not get too high. Same thing on Tuesday - 40 minutes of spin class and then 20 minutes on one of the workout bikes at the YMCA. Today will be 60 minutes of active recovery at home, followed by a much-deserved back, neck and shoulder massage at the spa.
1/22/2010 - 1/24/2010
Woke up early on Friday (the wife rises an hour before I do) and I felt energized after the 2 rest days, so I decided to hop on the TT bike and ride an hour of low-end tempo, just to burn some calories. What a great way to start the last work day of the week - I felt all warmed up and ready for my day!
Friday evening was the regularly scheduled workout - 56 minutes of LT on the TT bike, split up into shorter intervals with a little bit of rest in between: 4x5mx1m; 4x4mx45s; 4x3mx30s; 4x2mx15s. The short breaks allow me to get in probably about 10-15 more minutes of LT work than if I took the 4x10, 3x15, or 2x20 approach. Wattage was up 10-15 watts for each effort compared to the last time I did this workout.
Saturday's weather was really decent, so I decided to go for the big miles again. 4.5 hours (86 miles) of L2/L3 riding, with 10 short 8-10sec form sprints in the second half of the workout to build neuromuscular power. Burned nearly 3500 calories, then went to Richmond to gain it all back eating sushi and celebrating a friend's birthday.
Sunday will be a fairly steady endurance ride, with the plan to ride for 90-120 minutes and fill in the remaining training stress I need for my weekly goals. Next week is a full-on rest week - WooHoo!
1/19/2010 - 1/21/2010
A fairly easy day on Tuesday, taught a 35 minute spin class and then got on the Expresso bike for another 35 minutes at about 200 watts.
Fatigued on Wednesday, decided to listen to my body and take a full rest day.
Today was spent supporting my wife as she won the Best Desserts award at the annual Celebrity Chef Cook-off here in town. Some great food, so decided to take another recovery day and enjoy some diversity in the diet!
1/18/2010
Warm temperatures and the day off means a bit more time on the bike than the usual Monday. Will switch Tuesday's 2-hour L2 workout for today, then go easy or rest on Tuesday.
1/17/2010
Rain kept me indoors, but I didn't have a big day planned anyway. Only needed a little bit more L2 riding to cap off a solid week. The week ended very strongly considering when it started I was wondering if I would be able to do any serious training at all. The back muscle is recovering steadily and I only subbed L2 for one workout (big gear strength).
1/16/2010
A great 4.5 hour L2 ride. The first 33 miles were solo, then crossed paths with a couple mates and the three of us went out for another 50 miles, mostly on pavement but also a little dirt thrown in for fun. It is rather satisfying to hear a rider who is 18 years your junior announce he's cooked after 2 hours when you've been riding for 4 hours!
1/15/2010
What a blessing today's weather was! There aren't too many days in January when you can go riding in a short-sleeve jersey, wind vest, and knee warmers. It was great to get outside for a ride focused on neuromuscular bursts. This was the same as the 1/5 workout, but outdoors instead of on the trainer, and what a difference! While I could barely manage 550W indoors, outdoors I had no trouble getting every 10 second burst into the mid-600's to lower 700's. The best part was, rep #20 was actually my peak 10 seconds for the whole ride!
1/14/2010
Crappy sleep (a Wednesday night again - is there a pattern here?) - this time the dog apparently had to go out for an emergency deposit at 4:15 AM. Couldn't get back to sleep really after that, so just rested in bed so at least my muscles were recovering. Took a great 1.5 hour nap when I go home today, then hit the bike for an easy 60 minutes of active recovery. Looking forward to tomorrow's warm weather and a ride after work!
1/11/2010 - 1/13/2010
Lower back pain still giving me a hassle, so decided to take it easy for a few days and then, if things get better, put in some volume this weekend when the weather is going to be schweet!
1/11 - Recovery Day - Just taught spin class, and kept my HR in the active recovery zone.
1/12 - Endurance - Taught spin class, kept HR in the aerobic range, then came home and rode about 70 minutes at 200 watts. Good fat-burning pace.
1/13 - LT/TT - Back feeling much much better. Opted to do some short LT efforts on the TT bike: 4 x 5m x 1m, 4 x 4m x 45s, 4 x 3m x 30s, and 4 x 2m x 15s for a total of 56 minutes "on". FT Power in the aerobars only about 3-4% below road bike. Usually it's more like 10% this time of year, so that's good.
1/5/2010 - 1/10/2010
The new semester starts tomorrow, and I still have plenty of planning to get done today, so I will keep it short. Having some lower back pain still from all of the snow shoveling - not enough to keep me from working out at this point, but I will need to keep aware of it and see if it warrants more extended rest so I don't end up wrecking my entire season.
1/5 - 35 minute spin class, fun as usual, then home for another hour indoors @ 240-260W with a 10 second out-of-the-saddle burst @ 540-560W every 3 minutes. One of my favorite workouts to do outdoors, doesn't translate to the trainer quite as well but still less boring than most.
1/6 - 1.5 hours indoors on the TT bike, 60 minutes @ 260W, then 15 more minutes @ 280W. Felt hard at first, but then settled into the rhythm and had a strong finish.
1/7 - Crappy sleep and general fatigue, so switched today's scheduled workout with tomorrow's active recovery. Rode 60 minutes on the TT bike at a recovery pace.
1/8 - Got home in time to take a nap before the workout, which was key. Today was 1.75 hours indoors. Warmed up with 10 x 1 min fast pedals at 110-120 rpm. Rode another10 min at endurance pace, then did 4 x 10 min @ 310W with 6 min of rest between each rep. Very happy with being able to hit all 4 reps at prescribed wattage.
1/9 - 2.5 hours indoors riding tempo, 220-290W. I enjoyed being able to really control the wattage and keep it within the prescribed range, but 2.5 hours on a trainer is just about the limit to my mental endurance. Still, it's good to face those mental limits, too.
1/10 - Today will be some E riding, perhaps a little spin outdoors if I feel like enduring the near-freezaing temps, otherwise I figure 60-90 minutes on the trainer is nothing compared to yesterday!
1/1/2010 - 1/4/2010
The best month for alliterative blog titles! I have started the New Year out right so far with my two new training resolutions - doing core strength exercises 2x a week (up from not at all), and stretching hamstrings and glutes after every ride (also something I seldom did). Planks, side planks, V's - it's all going to happen this year, baby.
This month I have begun to play with my newest toy (well, new to me at least) - a Dura-Ace SRM. Installed on the road bike last week and have enjoyed training with it, and did a really hard ride on 1/2 so that I could get some benchmark wattages to compare with the Ergomo. While the wattage numbers are lower than the Ergomo, it's all relative to whatever FTP I have stored in my software, so I just adjust the FTP downward and the training stimulus is all the same. I am going to try to move the Ergomo over to my MTB so I can have some data from those rides as well.
I'm starting one of Hunter Allen's wattage-based training plans this week, so the last two days have been easy riding, just burning some calories, as prescribed by the plan. This is a training plan I used back in 2006 with considerable success, so I am looking forward to using it earlier in the season this year and then building on it to improve my peak performance.
Gotta hit the hay now - school is back in session!
Took Thursday completely off. Friday, walked a 15% incline on the treadmill @ 17:00 pace, with 6 x 0:25 x 1:35 uphill runs @ 8:00 pace in the middle of the workout. Those were tough, but the variety was fun. Saturday was a pretty vanilla 2 hour ride on the trainer, 90:00 @ 200-250W. Sunday was going to be a ride, but I substituted 250 "snow squats" - scoop, bend at the knees, lift, dump snow, repeat... Too bad WKO+ doesn't have a way to quantify training stress for chores...
1/25/2010 - 1/27/2010
This is a rest & recovery week, so it's all about shorter, easier rides. Monday was 50 minutes of spin class, where I kept the resistance dial low and made sure the HR did not get too high. Same thing on Tuesday - 40 minutes of spin class and then 20 minutes on one of the workout bikes at the YMCA. Today will be 60 minutes of active recovery at home, followed by a much-deserved back, neck and shoulder massage at the spa.
1/22/2010 - 1/24/2010
Woke up early on Friday (the wife rises an hour before I do) and I felt energized after the 2 rest days, so I decided to hop on the TT bike and ride an hour of low-end tempo, just to burn some calories. What a great way to start the last work day of the week - I felt all warmed up and ready for my day!
Friday evening was the regularly scheduled workout - 56 minutes of LT on the TT bike, split up into shorter intervals with a little bit of rest in between: 4x5mx1m; 4x4mx45s; 4x3mx30s; 4x2mx15s. The short breaks allow me to get in probably about 10-15 more minutes of LT work than if I took the 4x10, 3x15, or 2x20 approach. Wattage was up 10-15 watts for each effort compared to the last time I did this workout.
Saturday's weather was really decent, so I decided to go for the big miles again. 4.5 hours (86 miles) of L2/L3 riding, with 10 short 8-10sec form sprints in the second half of the workout to build neuromuscular power. Burned nearly 3500 calories, then went to Richmond to gain it all back eating sushi and celebrating a friend's birthday.
Sunday will be a fairly steady endurance ride, with the plan to ride for 90-120 minutes and fill in the remaining training stress I need for my weekly goals. Next week is a full-on rest week - WooHoo!
1/19/2010 - 1/21/2010
A fairly easy day on Tuesday, taught a 35 minute spin class and then got on the Expresso bike for another 35 minutes at about 200 watts.
Fatigued on Wednesday, decided to listen to my body and take a full rest day.
Today was spent supporting my wife as she won the Best Desserts award at the annual Celebrity Chef Cook-off here in town. Some great food, so decided to take another recovery day and enjoy some diversity in the diet!
1/18/2010
Warm temperatures and the day off means a bit more time on the bike than the usual Monday. Will switch Tuesday's 2-hour L2 workout for today, then go easy or rest on Tuesday.
1/17/2010
Rain kept me indoors, but I didn't have a big day planned anyway. Only needed a little bit more L2 riding to cap off a solid week. The week ended very strongly considering when it started I was wondering if I would be able to do any serious training at all. The back muscle is recovering steadily and I only subbed L2 for one workout (big gear strength).
1/16/2010
A great 4.5 hour L2 ride. The first 33 miles were solo, then crossed paths with a couple mates and the three of us went out for another 50 miles, mostly on pavement but also a little dirt thrown in for fun. It is rather satisfying to hear a rider who is 18 years your junior announce he's cooked after 2 hours when you've been riding for 4 hours!
1/15/2010
What a blessing today's weather was! There aren't too many days in January when you can go riding in a short-sleeve jersey, wind vest, and knee warmers. It was great to get outside for a ride focused on neuromuscular bursts. This was the same as the 1/5 workout, but outdoors instead of on the trainer, and what a difference! While I could barely manage 550W indoors, outdoors I had no trouble getting every 10 second burst into the mid-600's to lower 700's. The best part was, rep #20 was actually my peak 10 seconds for the whole ride!
1/14/2010
Crappy sleep (a Wednesday night again - is there a pattern here?) - this time the dog apparently had to go out for an emergency deposit at 4:15 AM. Couldn't get back to sleep really after that, so just rested in bed so at least my muscles were recovering. Took a great 1.5 hour nap when I go home today, then hit the bike for an easy 60 minutes of active recovery. Looking forward to tomorrow's warm weather and a ride after work!
1/11/2010 - 1/13/2010
Lower back pain still giving me a hassle, so decided to take it easy for a few days and then, if things get better, put in some volume this weekend when the weather is going to be schweet!
1/11 - Recovery Day - Just taught spin class, and kept my HR in the active recovery zone.
1/12 - Endurance - Taught spin class, kept HR in the aerobic range, then came home and rode about 70 minutes at 200 watts. Good fat-burning pace.
1/13 - LT/TT - Back feeling much much better. Opted to do some short LT efforts on the TT bike: 4 x 5m x 1m, 4 x 4m x 45s, 4 x 3m x 30s, and 4 x 2m x 15s for a total of 56 minutes "on". FT Power in the aerobars only about 3-4% below road bike. Usually it's more like 10% this time of year, so that's good.
1/5/2010 - 1/10/2010
The new semester starts tomorrow, and I still have plenty of planning to get done today, so I will keep it short. Having some lower back pain still from all of the snow shoveling - not enough to keep me from working out at this point, but I will need to keep aware of it and see if it warrants more extended rest so I don't end up wrecking my entire season.
1/5 - 35 minute spin class, fun as usual, then home for another hour indoors @ 240-260W with a 10 second out-of-the-saddle burst @ 540-560W every 3 minutes. One of my favorite workouts to do outdoors, doesn't translate to the trainer quite as well but still less boring than most.
1/6 - 1.5 hours indoors on the TT bike, 60 minutes @ 260W, then 15 more minutes @ 280W. Felt hard at first, but then settled into the rhythm and had a strong finish.
1/7 - Crappy sleep and general fatigue, so switched today's scheduled workout with tomorrow's active recovery. Rode 60 minutes on the TT bike at a recovery pace.
1/8 - Got home in time to take a nap before the workout, which was key. Today was 1.75 hours indoors. Warmed up with 10 x 1 min fast pedals at 110-120 rpm. Rode another10 min at endurance pace, then did 4 x 10 min @ 310W with 6 min of rest between each rep. Very happy with being able to hit all 4 reps at prescribed wattage.
1/9 - 2.5 hours indoors riding tempo, 220-290W. I enjoyed being able to really control the wattage and keep it within the prescribed range, but 2.5 hours on a trainer is just about the limit to my mental endurance. Still, it's good to face those mental limits, too.
1/10 - Today will be some E riding, perhaps a little spin outdoors if I feel like enduring the near-freezaing temps, otherwise I figure 60-90 minutes on the trainer is nothing compared to yesterday!
1/1/2010 - 1/4/2010
The best month for alliterative blog titles! I have started the New Year out right so far with my two new training resolutions - doing core strength exercises 2x a week (up from not at all), and stretching hamstrings and glutes after every ride (also something I seldom did). Planks, side planks, V's - it's all going to happen this year, baby.
This month I have begun to play with my newest toy (well, new to me at least) - a Dura-Ace SRM. Installed on the road bike last week and have enjoyed training with it, and did a really hard ride on 1/2 so that I could get some benchmark wattages to compare with the Ergomo. While the wattage numbers are lower than the Ergomo, it's all relative to whatever FTP I have stored in my software, so I just adjust the FTP downward and the training stimulus is all the same. I am going to try to move the Ergomo over to my MTB so I can have some data from those rides as well.
I'm starting one of Hunter Allen's wattage-based training plans this week, so the last two days have been easy riding, just burning some calories, as prescribed by the plan. This is a training plan I used back in 2006 with considerable success, so I am looking forward to using it earlier in the season this year and then building on it to improve my peak performance.
Gotta hit the hay now - school is back in session!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Twister January
So far this month has seen me in pain both indoors and out. The out was nothing new, although the wind made things a little bit interesting for a while there. Joe and I rode to his garage up in Springfield on the second . . . . it was pretty rough. Not only was the wind out, but the skies were a dark grey that seemed to dim my spirit that much more. Towards the end of the ride I spotted a couple NCVC riders and was tempted to take off my jacket to reveal the BWR kit . . . . but I wasn't looking too impressive at that point anyway.
The most important indoor session occurred when I found myself on Bills trainer, sweating and praying that my wattage didn't drop too much more. He put on a video of a 1,2 crit and told me to imagine I was in the race . . . . it really helped me to focus at times. I'm now also eating alot more fruits and veggies . . . . I'm willing to do whatever it takes at this point. The first tradezones are coming up soon, and the thought of them makes me nervous . . . .
Wed 6th - Rode down to meet Jinks at the park for an hour and a half of E. It was pretty cold when I started off, and by the time we were done I was ready to settle down somewhere in the park and hibernate til springtime.
Work was kinda slow, so I did a bunch of pushups with my feet elevated from a chair, and then some situps. I worked both to muscle failure, so it should be interesting to see what the ol body feels like tomorrow morning.
Friday 8th - I was quite sad to wake up and see the snow . . . . the cross bike wasn't ready to go, so I rode an ancient MTB to work. I had been on the new bike the day before, so the weight and comfort factor was quite pronounced. During the ride my focus was spinning smoothly, mostly bc I couldn't get it into the biggest ring. I wasn't ready to ride that tank of a bike back home, so I made up the lost time on the trainer. Outdoor (winter) riding has its own flavor of suffering, but a good trainer session is just as much of a beast.
Icy Ride - Sat 9th - I was in a little bit of a haze upon awakening, and I almost missed the meeting time of 1030. We cruised over to the trailhead and found that the first portion was a mix of unbroken snow from the last storm, ice, and new snow from yesterday. I was running about 60 psi, but maybe mother nature thought that was a little bit much . . . . after wiping out I stopped and let some air out. From there we spent a good amount of time on the newer trails, which seemed quite narrow compared to the ones on the other side of 95. We did a good amount of hike-a-biking, which really kept my core temp up. After finding the culvert and crossing under 95 the trails got better - but sadly at this point clipping in was a luxury. We made it up behind Wegmans and used a flat head screwdriver to dig out the ice and snow from the cleats and pedals and continued on. All good things must come to and end, though, so in the last couple km's of trail Bill instructions were to use a heavier gear to avoid going down.
All in all it was a good ride, and if nothing else it was good for my lacking technical skills . . . . hopefully tomorrow everyone can get together for some serious talk and E mileage . . . .
Jan 13th - Woke up early to meet with Jinks in the park at 6:45 for some E mileage. I didn't really feel too cold when I left the house. Since commuting in the morning is standard, I never check the temp - I'm not sure I could feel the subtle difference between say 20 or 25 or whatever anyway. So, on the way down to the park, I noticed that alot of the snow had melted. This triggered some kind of placebo effect that made me think in was warmer than it really was. At the park I asked Jinksy for the temp, though, and when he said 21 I started to feel much colder. The ride itself was sweet - we discussed the erratic nature of drivers in general and how getting a good ride in the morning could change your outlook on the whole day. After we split I had an espresso at Hyperion and then it was off to work.
Jan 14th - I had a day off today, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. My sister and her fiance needed some help moving some stuff down to his apartment near Charlottesville . . . . I was the man for the job. Afterwards I rode back. I decided to ride the new bike to see how it handled the rollers and all . . . what a difference. If that bike was a thoroughbred the Lemond must be like a donkey or something. The hardest thing about today was the drastic change in temperature - it was quite warm by the time I made it back to the Burg. Spent the rest of the day recovering by soaking my legs and wearing hospital issue compressions. I would have liked to have spent the day recovering with a nice female . . . . maybe someday.
Saturday looks to be both epic and frightening. Hopefully the weather is warm and the legs are fresh . . .
Since the last posting I've been training, but have also been rekindling an old romance. Sometimes it seems females make me make unsound decisions, but I've done my best to stay focused on getting ready for the upcoming season. I've been watching alot of cycling videos on Youtube. Hopefully watching the pro riders and then copying their style will benefit my form bc at times its quite ugly. Tonight (1/21) after watching Cardoso win a stage in the Tour down Under I wanted to get out and train til exhaustion, but with it being a down week and with the KOM on Sunday I'm saving energy.
Sunday KOM Jan 24th - I started getting ready for the KOM ride Saturday night by getting home early, drinking a bunch of water and taking some protein. This was mainly because I stayed out way too late the night before the surge ride and the added suffering didn't sound too appealing.
During the first round I thought that I had flatted, and pulled over to fix it. However, it was just low on air, which meant I had to chase my way back to the front. So I TT'd up to Bill, Greg and Joe, who were fighting for KoM points up front. All I really remember from that one is being tired and happy that I could bridge up. Then Jeff showed, and during the next round he and I went off the front as a two man team. We worked together for a spell, and I thought we could have stayed away . . . . but then Greg nonchalantly rode up. It was a three man for a bit, then he and I went together for the rest of the lap. This was probably the hardest time for me. Had the distance been further there was a good chance I would have been dropped.
The last lap started with everyone staying together nearly to the turn around point. Then Greg went for a point, and I chased. After the turn around it almost because a two man, but neither of us had the juice, so we sat up. I think he had a bunch of points on that one . . . . honestly it left me so tired its now kinda a blur. It was good to see everyone out today, especially with the less than optimal conditions. Back in town Andre said that everyone was alot stronger this year than they were this time last year, so that leaves me with a lot of hope.
28th - The weather was nice after work, so I rode in the wind til it got to be too cold. I felt really fresh during the workout, which mainly consisted of hills in and around the hospital. But afterwards I realized that in my enthusiasm I burned through whatever matches were in my book, and am now suffering and walking around like an old man. Tomorrow I'll recover, and then make do with whatever weather comes around this weekend . . . . .
30th - Snow day! As a kid I would look forward to a snow day, and as an adult with a cross bike I still do. I wasn't sure if Bill was still going to ride this morning, so after a few emails back and forth we would up meeting down at CVS around ten thirty. His camelbak hose was already frozen, which for me was the sign of an epic day in the making. From there we rode to his house where I upgraded my wardrobe with a bandit looking face mask and a better outer layer. The last snow ride we did was an exploration of the trails . . . . today was more along the lines of a romp around town to see what everyone was up to. Bill knows alot of people, and was enthusiastic in yelling greeting at their houses as we passed. I was not too surprised when some of the greeting were returned. Steve was in the middle of some office work, but wasn't too busy to tell us skiing stories and to help me keep my feet warm. The shop was open, so we stopped and chatted with Andre for a while. I also met Gregs gf. From the shop we headed to the Canal Path, and along the way planned a rendezvous near the cemetery with Jinks. He called to say that is brakes were out (common occurrence for us all) and was having to run the hill, so while waiting we pushed a car or two up the slope and had a quick photo shoot. After Jinks came along I tried to suggest a loop or two around town, but being from the North he saw no problem in trekking back to Stafford. I didn't want him to ride without a sidekick, so off we went. At this point the ride changed from cruise to bruise for me. Right after the Falmouth bridge I hit a well concealed pothole, and went down. From there we shot up Truslow, and over to Centreport Pkwy. Not too many people were out and about, and even though the riding was slow it I couldn't keep a good conversation. For me it was bleak for a while, especially after I slid out on a downhill. However, I knew I would get a chance to warm up sooner or later. And now I'm home, trying to replenish calories lost. Alot of bike handling skills were developed today, and alot of people in the area realized BWR guys go hard no matter what the weather . . ..
The most important indoor session occurred when I found myself on Bills trainer, sweating and praying that my wattage didn't drop too much more. He put on a video of a 1,2 crit and told me to imagine I was in the race . . . . it really helped me to focus at times. I'm now also eating alot more fruits and veggies . . . . I'm willing to do whatever it takes at this point. The first tradezones are coming up soon, and the thought of them makes me nervous . . . .
Wed 6th - Rode down to meet Jinks at the park for an hour and a half of E. It was pretty cold when I started off, and by the time we were done I was ready to settle down somewhere in the park and hibernate til springtime.
Work was kinda slow, so I did a bunch of pushups with my feet elevated from a chair, and then some situps. I worked both to muscle failure, so it should be interesting to see what the ol body feels like tomorrow morning.
Friday 8th - I was quite sad to wake up and see the snow . . . . the cross bike wasn't ready to go, so I rode an ancient MTB to work. I had been on the new bike the day before, so the weight and comfort factor was quite pronounced. During the ride my focus was spinning smoothly, mostly bc I couldn't get it into the biggest ring. I wasn't ready to ride that tank of a bike back home, so I made up the lost time on the trainer. Outdoor (winter) riding has its own flavor of suffering, but a good trainer session is just as much of a beast.
Icy Ride - Sat 9th - I was in a little bit of a haze upon awakening, and I almost missed the meeting time of 1030. We cruised over to the trailhead and found that the first portion was a mix of unbroken snow from the last storm, ice, and new snow from yesterday. I was running about 60 psi, but maybe mother nature thought that was a little bit much . . . . after wiping out I stopped and let some air out. From there we spent a good amount of time on the newer trails, which seemed quite narrow compared to the ones on the other side of 95. We did a good amount of hike-a-biking, which really kept my core temp up. After finding the culvert and crossing under 95 the trails got better - but sadly at this point clipping in was a luxury. We made it up behind Wegmans and used a flat head screwdriver to dig out the ice and snow from the cleats and pedals and continued on. All good things must come to and end, though, so in the last couple km's of trail Bill instructions were to use a heavier gear to avoid going down.
All in all it was a good ride, and if nothing else it was good for my lacking technical skills . . . . hopefully tomorrow everyone can get together for some serious talk and E mileage . . . .
Jan 13th - Woke up early to meet with Jinks in the park at 6:45 for some E mileage. I didn't really feel too cold when I left the house. Since commuting in the morning is standard, I never check the temp - I'm not sure I could feel the subtle difference between say 20 or 25 or whatever anyway. So, on the way down to the park, I noticed that alot of the snow had melted. This triggered some kind of placebo effect that made me think in was warmer than it really was. At the park I asked Jinksy for the temp, though, and when he said 21 I started to feel much colder. The ride itself was sweet - we discussed the erratic nature of drivers in general and how getting a good ride in the morning could change your outlook on the whole day. After we split I had an espresso at Hyperion and then it was off to work.
Jan 14th - I had a day off today, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. My sister and her fiance needed some help moving some stuff down to his apartment near Charlottesville . . . . I was the man for the job. Afterwards I rode back. I decided to ride the new bike to see how it handled the rollers and all . . . what a difference. If that bike was a thoroughbred the Lemond must be like a donkey or something. The hardest thing about today was the drastic change in temperature - it was quite warm by the time I made it back to the Burg. Spent the rest of the day recovering by soaking my legs and wearing hospital issue compressions. I would have liked to have spent the day recovering with a nice female . . . . maybe someday.
Saturday looks to be both epic and frightening. Hopefully the weather is warm and the legs are fresh . . .
Since the last posting I've been training, but have also been rekindling an old romance. Sometimes it seems females make me make unsound decisions, but I've done my best to stay focused on getting ready for the upcoming season. I've been watching alot of cycling videos on Youtube. Hopefully watching the pro riders and then copying their style will benefit my form bc at times its quite ugly. Tonight (1/21) after watching Cardoso win a stage in the Tour down Under I wanted to get out and train til exhaustion, but with it being a down week and with the KOM on Sunday I'm saving energy.
Sunday KOM Jan 24th - I started getting ready for the KOM ride Saturday night by getting home early, drinking a bunch of water and taking some protein. This was mainly because I stayed out way too late the night before the surge ride and the added suffering didn't sound too appealing.
During the first round I thought that I had flatted, and pulled over to fix it. However, it was just low on air, which meant I had to chase my way back to the front. So I TT'd up to Bill, Greg and Joe, who were fighting for KoM points up front. All I really remember from that one is being tired and happy that I could bridge up. Then Jeff showed, and during the next round he and I went off the front as a two man team. We worked together for a spell, and I thought we could have stayed away . . . . but then Greg nonchalantly rode up. It was a three man for a bit, then he and I went together for the rest of the lap. This was probably the hardest time for me. Had the distance been further there was a good chance I would have been dropped.
The last lap started with everyone staying together nearly to the turn around point. Then Greg went for a point, and I chased. After the turn around it almost because a two man, but neither of us had the juice, so we sat up. I think he had a bunch of points on that one . . . . honestly it left me so tired its now kinda a blur. It was good to see everyone out today, especially with the less than optimal conditions. Back in town Andre said that everyone was alot stronger this year than they were this time last year, so that leaves me with a lot of hope.
28th - The weather was nice after work, so I rode in the wind til it got to be too cold. I felt really fresh during the workout, which mainly consisted of hills in and around the hospital. But afterwards I realized that in my enthusiasm I burned through whatever matches were in my book, and am now suffering and walking around like an old man. Tomorrow I'll recover, and then make do with whatever weather comes around this weekend . . . . .
30th - Snow day! As a kid I would look forward to a snow day, and as an adult with a cross bike I still do. I wasn't sure if Bill was still going to ride this morning, so after a few emails back and forth we would up meeting down at CVS around ten thirty. His camelbak hose was already frozen, which for me was the sign of an epic day in the making. From there we rode to his house where I upgraded my wardrobe with a bandit looking face mask and a better outer layer. The last snow ride we did was an exploration of the trails . . . . today was more along the lines of a romp around town to see what everyone was up to. Bill knows alot of people, and was enthusiastic in yelling greeting at their houses as we passed. I was not too surprised when some of the greeting were returned. Steve was in the middle of some office work, but wasn't too busy to tell us skiing stories and to help me keep my feet warm. The shop was open, so we stopped and chatted with Andre for a while. I also met Gregs gf. From the shop we headed to the Canal Path, and along the way planned a rendezvous near the cemetery with Jinks. He called to say that is brakes were out (common occurrence for us all) and was having to run the hill, so while waiting we pushed a car or two up the slope and had a quick photo shoot. After Jinks came along I tried to suggest a loop or two around town, but being from the North he saw no problem in trekking back to Stafford. I didn't want him to ride without a sidekick, so off we went. At this point the ride changed from cruise to bruise for me. Right after the Falmouth bridge I hit a well concealed pothole, and went down. From there we shot up Truslow, and over to Centreport Pkwy. Not too many people were out and about, and even though the riding was slow it I couldn't keep a good conversation. For me it was bleak for a while, especially after I slid out on a downhill. However, I knew I would get a chance to warm up sooner or later. And now I'm home, trying to replenish calories lost. Alot of bike handling skills were developed today, and alot of people in the area realized BWR guys go hard no matter what the weather . . ..
Monday, January 4, 2010
It's All for Downhill Training
1/31/10
Last day of the month and I spent it shoveling snow. A total body workout. No need to ride the bike because I am whupped.
1/30/10
After visiting with a couple of mental patients (Off the Front and Twister), I worked out with a shovel for an hour or so and then hit the rollers for an hour with 30 minutes of high tempo. I knew I didn't have time for a long session so I went with higher intensity.
1/29/10
Back to basics and a good PT strength workout. It definitely helped, so I will keep up with these workouts.
Work (both my non-profit jobs) has left me much like a bowl of gruel, no flavor and a nasty texture. Additionally, both my knees ache. Forty five minutes on the rollers, with fifteen minutes of tempo was all that I could manage. I am going to try to go back to a strength workout and see if I can gain some strength and get past this pain thing. Scotch therapy may work as well.
1/26/10
The legs still feeling the effects of the last two days. However a one hour E ride on the rollers seemed to loosen everything up. Although I will continue to pay the work price for my four days of play. If time allows maybe a little bit more effort for tomorrow.
1/25/10
So there is a price to pay for everything. Monday was a travel day so I did not get any chance to stretch the legs and spent most of the day sitting. Great recovery you may think, but not so. By the end of the day I was so stiff and sore I felt like 102 instead of 52. It was to the point where I was back to working at not limping. The day before was still well worth it.
1/24/10
Five months to the day after surgery I won the king of the mountain award today. An epic powder day spent skiing whatever the mountain could dish out. I got lucky and was able to hook up with an instructor from last year, nicknamed: Boomer! The two of us skiied until they closed the mountain. Burning quads and lungs, but unbelievable fun. Funniest moment: I lead out over a crest only to launch into space off a ledge. To my surprise I land it, but Boomer thought I was dead and comes flying around looking for my body and does a face plant from the shock of seeing me upright. He is an phenomenal skier so it was priceless to be able to give him the BWR once over. See you gents next week!
1/23/10
More quad work at altitude. Confidence in the knee keeps rising. Although that is with a brace on. Storm now dumping snow so tomorrow should be epic powder.
1/20-22/10
Two full days of skiing done and the legs are feeling the strain, but in a good way. Only one mishap with the knee and it was minor stretching pain. Despite an invite to go thrash some backwoods snow, I passed out of an abundance of caution. Otherwise I am skiing at full speed. Lots of fun and good muscle work ready to be converted to aerobic upon my return.
1/18/10
Two hour E ride with Young Gun and Off the Front, until Bill decided that he was going to ride up and down ONE hill fifteen times. Oh Billy, Billy , Billy. Enjoyed the ride and conversation. Now to take some time off the bike and cross train on the slopes. Make mine a double black diamond please!
1/17/10
Up at 4:00 am to drive to the eastern shore of Maryland for a long day of indoor field hockey. Maybe Jeff will get this, but it is a powerful feeling when you see one of your children do something amazing. Today I saw my daughter Meghan make several jaw dropping moves that even had the other parents going wow. Sure it's pride, and a little bit of vicarious living, but it's also seeing someone push to their potential. [I love it when my kids get that channeled anger thing going both academically and athletically.] For what it's worth it makes the long day worthwhile.
1/16/10
As I said to my riding mates today (Bill, Greg, Jack and Joe) if I only had a stiff, light fast bike I wouldn't be off the back... uh unfortunately I do have just such a bike. Bill called it a surge ride. I call it a hold on by your fingernails. The second intense effort of the year as well as the second intense effort since August 10th. I think I'm ready for some downhill. Thanks to the guys for another great ride. A mental refresher to go with the physical exhaustion.
1/14/10
Made it to the park for an outdoor ride and ran into "off the front" Bill. As I was explaining to him that training has become just another pain in the ass to get done, I got suckered into chasing him for 4x10 LT's. The power numbers were not so bad and the knees felt fine after getting warmed up. Someday I will have to teach Bill how to ride a SMOOTH LT, but that will have to wait until I retire and I guess for now that will have to wait too. Tomorrow is 23 x 6-7 year olds at my daughters birthday party. Now that's a workout!
1/13/10
Decided to give the legs a rest and the palate a treat with a wine tasting dinner. Thursday calls for warmer weather and perhaps a chance to ride outdoors!
1/12/10
Hmm, that rest day thing has got me flumoxed, AGAIN! Tried to do the PE3's and just did not have it in my legs. One failed attempt at the intervals was enough to say enough and and ride E for an hour on the rollers. I will let the legs tell me what they want for today's workout, maybe PE3's or maybe just some tempo. Possible 50 degree weather will require an outdoor ride if work permits tomorrow. [That and the wine tasting party tonight.]
1/11/10
Revised PT workout with more core and upper body work added and some flexibility routines dropped. I would do it all, but that would entail a full three hours of workout time and I just don't have it. Looking forward to Thursday and the hope of getting outside for a ride. Meanwhile back in the basement Tuesday.
1/10/10
Group indoor ride thanks to Jinksy. Two hours of high E, 150-170 watts at 85 rpm all day long. But today was only a two hour ride. Great motivation having team members there to chat with and to make sure I did not quit early. Now to finish de-decorating for the Holidays.
1/9/09
PE3 x 3. Just did not have the stuff to finish that fourth PE3. The hardest interval is the high cadence LT. I just can't push the watts at 105-110 rpm for 3 minutes. The mechanics of my pedal stroke at this stage of recovery is a limiter. It was good to get some work in though.
1/7/09
Although I wanted to join bill on his excellent adventure, I have the wrong moniker, so I trained inside on the rollers. Ten minute tempo warm up followed by three 5 min LT intervals. The first two LT's went fairly well. I was able to settle in with my now patented 85-88 rpm cadence. The third interval ended up rather ragged, but completed. I then was able to see a teammate demonstrate the firepower of a fully operational armorer. Ken was way beyond impressive and I very much appreciate his tuteledge.
1/6/09
I got nothing but a headache from pounding my head against the wall of others ignorance. Work no play today.
1/5/10
I jumped right into the training program with PE3's. Although the plan was to do 4 sets, time and discomfort held me to 3 sets. The knees (both) complained but I was able to push through until the third set when the right knee just did not want to cooperate. Not severe pain but a wierd feeling that made me think that it had enough. That and family duties shut down the workout, although I am still not sure which one was the excuse. Clearly I have a long way to go to be race ready and even further to catch up with the rest of BWR. [The knee feels normaly stiff as of the next morning so no damage and an indicator of what can be endured without damage.]
1/4/10
At least for this evening Greame means squat on my street. Cyclo-core workout for the first time and it felt, well, easy. Not to say what I may feel tomorrow, but for today I would have to say I need to modify the work to match my PT workout. Encouraging! [1/5 -legs and core feel fine this morning. Hope to get on the bike this evening.]
1/3/10
Indoor field hockey tournament from 5:00 am until 3:00 pm, followed by reverse tree wrangling and attic box loading. At least I looked at a training schedule today!
1/2/10
After consultation with my personal goad/trainer I aimlessly rode the rollers for 1.5 hours while watching James T. Kirk match wits with KAHN!
1/1/10
A littel bit of this and a little bit of that. Loosened up on the rollers, and then did one minute of LT followed by tempo, with another minute of LT. This was more to test the knee and the cycling system. Although it did not feel "normal" there were no short term or long term pain effects. It also showed where my fitness may be since I was able to hold 360 plus watts for each of the minute LT intervals without a huge perceived effort. I am trying to focus on leg strength in preparation for my return to the slopes in 20 days.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Jeff's cold Training in Jan.
What motivates me to go on a 3 1/2 hr low E ride on a day like today, with the wind gusting and the Temps low enough to freeze your lips together.
Sometimes it may be Team mates or a personal goal that maintains one's focus, maybe its something inside us to drive to higher levels so we can fulfill our lives with some type of self accomplishment.
Maybe, but today my motivation was force fed by my daughter Savannah. It happen like this, I got my core work done and was pounding excuses not to do my 3 1/2 hr training ride, when I happen to see Savannah's training schedule on the end table.
This is a personalize softball pitching schedule she has made and tailored for herself, I had no influence what so ever (or Did I?)
It was laid out AIR THRU 150, SNAPS 1000, ARM CIRCLES 300, pingerlims 100, power pitches 60, she does her training in our garage we have everything she needs set up and ready, but it is colder in there then outside. At the very bottom of her Training diary she had a blank, what did I do well today? And a blank what needs more work, and then it was the mother of all Questions HONESTLY DID I TRY MY HARDEST??? So on my ride I would ask myself is it I who is teaching Savannah good work ethics thru self example or is she motivating me to perform up to my potential?
either way it’s a win, win, at the end a 3 1/2 hr ride some food and off to her pitching clinic where she would whirl balls 50 MPH at me for another two hrs. So the answer for today YES I honestly tried my best, I will now ask myself this Question everyday. THANKS SAVANNAH!!!
Sometimes it may be Team mates or a personal goal that maintains one's focus, maybe its something inside us to drive to higher levels so we can fulfill our lives with some type of self accomplishment.
Maybe, but today my motivation was force fed by my daughter Savannah. It happen like this, I got my core work done and was pounding excuses not to do my 3 1/2 hr training ride, when I happen to see Savannah's training schedule on the end table.
This is a personalize softball pitching schedule she has made and tailored for herself, I had no influence what so ever (or Did I?)
It was laid out AIR THRU 150, SNAPS 1000, ARM CIRCLES 300, pingerlims 100, power pitches 60, she does her training in our garage we have everything she needs set up and ready, but it is colder in there then outside. At the very bottom of her Training diary she had a blank, what did I do well today? And a blank what needs more work, and then it was the mother of all Questions HONESTLY DID I TRY MY HARDEST??? So on my ride I would ask myself is it I who is teaching Savannah good work ethics thru self example or is she motivating me to perform up to my potential?
either way it’s a win, win, at the end a 3 1/2 hr ride some food and off to her pitching clinic where she would whirl balls 50 MPH at me for another two hrs. So the answer for today YES I honestly tried my best, I will now ask myself this Question everyday. THANKS SAVANNAH!!!
Indoor training ride
Now with the temps dipping pretty low, I was thinking about doing a indoor training ride with everyone. Where could we hold such an event with the possibility of 10+ people? It would be cool to be able to project a DVD of simulated ride on a wall, I know I have seen these simulations but can't remember where.
If anyone has any ideas please share them. I think this could be a fun time and we all would stay warm.
If anyone has any ideas please share them. I think this could be a fun time and we all would stay warm.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The one ten train - Jinks
If the new year resolution is to show commitment on the bike, it's going to be hard to top the first day of the year ! Bill & I got a invite to come check out the annual new year's day ride down in Richmond. The big boys were there and alot of others too. Had to be 50 + rides. Things got fast soon enough. Bill & I where able to make it to the front straight away. After alittle more than a hour of fast getting faster, a hill that turn out to be a bit more than a roller separated me from the fun bunch. As it rolled away. I would estimate some 15 riders left standing! ( Bill rode the crazy train to the end, 9 finished in the lead group) Things say interesting for me after that. I did get back to the start, but not before giving up my spare tube, realizing I hadn't brought my phone, witnessing fourty rides disappear into the Richmond country side, and experiencing a 12 mile dice ride on Rt 360. ( Do not ride your bike on Rt 360 )
In the Pedals, Jinks
In the Pedals, Jinks
Ken's training
1-14
Just finished up with a 4 mile run and Cylo-Zen which is an 8 min strengh work out: 50 hindu squats, 1 min seated chair, 25 hindu push-ups, then an ab work out. I did this twice and I am spent, time for a nice relaxing shower and compression tights.
1/5
Well another Cyclo core done. I am now up to 125 hindu squats I love this work out. Tommorow will be another Muscle break down with coach Troy and the boys. Then I get a break on Thursday, I have to help Steve with his new toy.
Well my training has been all about strength and power. I have been doing Cyclo-core DVD twice a week, the Ab/core work out once a week. Now I have started in with Spinervals which I'll be doing once a week. Today I did 4.0 Muscle breakdown which is a real a$$ kicker but feels good at the end.
I am looking forward to the training race in Richmond at the race track, I signed up for the 3/4 race. I hope the rest of the team can make it.
Just finished up with a 4 mile run and Cylo-Zen which is an 8 min strengh work out: 50 hindu squats, 1 min seated chair, 25 hindu push-ups, then an ab work out. I did this twice and I am spent, time for a nice relaxing shower and compression tights.
1/5
Well another Cyclo core done. I am now up to 125 hindu squats I love this work out. Tommorow will be another Muscle break down with coach Troy and the boys. Then I get a break on Thursday, I have to help Steve with his new toy.
Well my training has been all about strength and power. I have been doing Cyclo-core DVD twice a week, the Ab/core work out once a week. Now I have started in with Spinervals which I'll be doing once a week. Today I did 4.0 Muscle breakdown which is a real a$$ kicker but feels good at the end.
I am looking forward to the training race in Richmond at the race track, I signed up for the 3/4 race. I hope the rest of the team can make it.
BILL's Choo-Choo Trainin'
1/1
Well, to kick off the new year, I decided to go down to Richmond to do their huge ride. Jinks and I were just two of more than 60 riders to head out for the slug-fest. The temps were quite chilly, but that did not hamper the turn-out. Some of the names most would recognize-Jeff Brandon(Kelley Benefits), Ben King(Trek-LiveStrong), Richmond Pro?, Dan King, Chip Goble, Mark King, and the list goes on.
The ride began pretty quickly with the yellow-line in effect and a double paceline. It grew in speed and shrunk in participants all the time. Only about 16 riders were rotating the front with about 25 gate-keeping. Jinks and I were pulling. The speeds just kept increasing and at the 20 mile mark, I looked over my shoulder and only about 15 riders remained. This is where I lost sight of Jinksy. The group kept shrinking and I had no idea where the heck we were. I fought to stay on so I would know the way home(fear driven legs). Finally, the group was only 9 and I would stay in right up to the finish.
The 27 mph average was a bit misleading. If we were rotating and not surging, 27 seems doable. However, what was really punishing me was the constant jacking and surging up over 30mph and then back down to 24. I do not have the repeats(in my legs) to do that every two minutes for 2+ hours. Over/Under intervals for a few months would have made that kind of riding a bit more comfortable. As it was, I was happy just come to the finish with that group. Back to the more structured training.
1/3
Today I woke up early with the girls(fed and played), cleaned the kitchen, and saw my wife out so she could go out for coffee w/ friends. This freed up two hours of easy spinning for me, followed by total leg burn workout. The light spin really opened up the legs and the weighted exercise-ball squats etc. closed them right up. I'm quite happy to begin the new training month.
1/4
Arms/core-and nothing more
1/5
Tonight I had one of my more difficult workouts thus far since Oct. I did 5x6min LT intervals with a 10min tempo rep to warm up appropriately. I've been building to these quite conservatively and the PE3s were no problem. Today, however, I struggled through and completed the workout without opening the recovery between(3min). DURING each rep was another story. I completely think it a mental thing, but riding outside was not going to happen. Certainly there is a drop in my wattage while riding on the trainer, but I accounted for that a few watts. Anything longer than 3min indoors is "murder on a stick" for me and with the current weather pattern the way it is, I had better just HTFU. The eating has been fantastic and sleep...below average as usual. The odd thing here as I write this(1 hour after completion) is that I really feel no stress in the legs AT ALL, which means that it absorbed the load quite nicely.?! Now to finish my novel by Cormac MacCarthy!!!
1/6
I went to the gym to do a robust lower-body workout today. In my new book, Cycling Anatomy, the author recommends that you do the isolated muscles first and then move to the major movers after there is some exhaustion/warming of the muscle. This worked well and was different. For the squats, I did not need to do the 305lbs, but could get the same difficulty with only 225lbs on the bar. This, translated, means that I have less of a chance to hurt myself with massively heavy weights-safer. Me likes that! After 1:15 min of lifting, I hopped on the Gym exercise bike and destroyed it! No, really! I tried the five sprints and on the second effort the toe-clip fell of, the magazine rack fell off, and the seat post fell down. I "fixed" everything and tried once more and the reverse threading on the drive pedal could not keep the entire pedal from falling off. "Watts going on?!" I think three is enough. Good and hearty workout.
1/7
I finally got outside to get my ride on. Although the temps read 39 degrees, in the park you drop the feel temp 10 degrees for the moisture, total lack of sun, and snow piled up on both sides of the road. I thought I had over dressed, but by 4:30, was plenty happy(especially the with the new LG gloves). I did my three LT intervals after a 10 min tempo warm-up. The reps were very bearable, but the speeds were not very impressive. To note, my finishing spot for these reps last year was about 250 meters up the road, but that's that. After the two tough days beforehand, I was quite interested to see how my body would react to this huge block of training. Answer-nicely, but certainly ready for a recovery day tomorrow. The pic above was me leaving the park at dusk. Notice the chapped nostrils, crooked glasses, and state of unawareness. It MUST have been a good workout! What's in store for us this weekend??? Asia-Only Time Will Tell(for all you...over 30 boys)"You're leaving now..."
1/8
Delayed opening! Today is a well needed rest day. The only thing I really did was abs and lifted upper-body. When will "ripped" again touch my lips? I've finally detoxed from all the gluttony over the holiday. I'm really eating well and that has made been a significant change in how I feel. In another few weeks, my metabolic changes will come in the form of actual weight loss(bodyfat%). I thought of two great ride ideas for the weekend-safe and important!
1/9
I met up with Twister and after about 30 min, Dre had his bike again working smoothly. We got to the Quarry trails in short time, only to feel the ground with our backsides. The old snow was still there, compacted and frozen with block ice under and a fresh skiff from Friday on top. All of the million ruts were frozen erect and completely impossible to ride upright. However, once we got to the single-track, it was only snow. This provided three problems-running the bike up the slopes 50% of the time, no idea where the trails were, and not being able to clip into your pedals on the way down. We had a blast and got a serious workout over the 2:45min. It was great being outside without much wind and just riding at our pace up the river. That ride was epic! Enjoy the photos, as we earned our way to those locations.
1/10
As "2-To-Go" Steve stated on his blog, it sure was nice to ride with a group. There was plenty of room for more. Big TV, DVD, conversations with teammates, and nice air flow made it completely bearable. I was able to do the BodyRock workouts every 15 min, which kept it fun for me. Great to accomplish two hours without much thought. We even had out team historian there(Jose's wife) snapping pics.
1/11
Upper-body workout! Let's call it the Buff-Meister 3000.
1/12
Finally got home after faculty meeting and play practice for girls. I quickly made an awesome dinner(roast chick, brown rice in a sweet red pepper/garlic sauce, peas, and olives). To the dungeon with you! I watched the final stage of the Tour of Ephrata(crashes and all). My workout was 3x15 min high tempo reps on the TT bike. OK warm-up and only my 5th ride in the new TT position. The position on the trainer is downright different from being outside no matter what I do to level it out. Anywho, The wattage hung in around 240watts at 22.4mph(a bit encouraging even though I struggled to keep the shifts to 4 per 15min chunk).
My PowerTap turned to all dashes in the three readouts-Hub batteries need replacing, Dre? I find that I have good explosiveness now, which does jack for a 40k TT. Nice workout, but mental agony for sure.To quote the BEASTIE Boys "Slow and low, that is the Tempo!"
1/13
The lower body workout was a bit rushed as I had to render first aid to a drama student who took a fall this afternoon. I was still able to get most of the work done and the sore knee is feeling much better with the lighter weight/higher reps. I spun for 55 min and threw in 5 sprints to activate the muscles I just "gymmed" to an on the bike firing. I'm a tad sore and that not a bad thing. I say that now, but tomorrow I'm adding a rep to my LT work and I'm sure the muscles will tell me otherwise. I'm trying not to focus all of my attention to the goings-on in Haiti. I feel like my posting is just petty at this point in comparison. Pray
1/14
It was one of the best training rides I've had this year. There were several reasons for THAT remark. First, "2-2Go" Steve met me and it made such a difference on the workout. It was the typical scenario the two of us go through many times each year over almost the last decade. "What are you trying to do?" "Whatever!?" "Let's do 4x10 min LTs.?!" "OK.?!" And away we go, chasing the watts and each other. Personally, I did see the power drop a bit on the 3rd rep and in parts of the 4th. 2-2Go comes up in his robotic stroke, and says "upupup". Away we go again. Now I broke my PowerTap and went by HR(totally archaic technology by the way and stupid for training period). Next, I broke my 7 year old Aireon saddle. It was such a shock, what with all that duct-tape holding it together. That dropped me down about 2 cm into the hammock, which was not my best position on the bike. BUT, we got it done and Steve did it all!. That's our 2-2Go! What fun and hard work.
1/16
The surge ride today was fantastic training. There were five teammates and we treated it like a 5 man break away. The full-on ride was to last about two hours and with the exception of a few rally points, was all that. Some of the guys were taking faster or longer pulls, so it kept the tempo fluctuating, which is exactly what happens in races. I played the first hour a bit conservatively so I could have a strong last half-hour(might just be the biggest weakness last year). The speeds only increased when we went to a straight up and off rotation. That is how the big-boys would be doing it for sure! I don't think anyone was holding back. We passed about 10 riders back to Route 2 and I wonder what they thought of our flawless rotation as it swooped past them. The uniforms are beautiful in motion! The end result was about 45 hilly miles. I was able to do that on 1600kjs. Did I mention the steady 6-10 mph headwind the first half? Boy was I hungry upon return. I had to explain to the wife why there was a new living room arrangement, 'cause I ate the couch.
1/17
I did 1.5 hour recovery ride today in the TT position and lifted arms. My knee hurts and so does my "sit-junk".
1/18
With the day off and crappy weather heading our way for the latter parts of the week, I went out for a great ride. I met up with YoungGun and 2-2Go for some E work and my prescribed hill workout for tomorrow. We went all the way out to Belle Plains and I found a hill that was exactly 2 minutes of climbing at LT. Those two headed back to town and I did 15 repeats and then strolled back to the town the long way. It was great to see so many cyclists out and about. I finished with 3.5 hours and never felt sore in the knee or empty in the belly! I taking tomorrow totally off for faculty meetings and let my legs heal up before the indoor ride Wed/Thurs.
1/20
Dre helped me change out my batteries in my hub and was back in business tonight! First I went to the gym for a 10min elliptical warmup(sounds like something an astronomer would say). I did the upper side of the body, with some additional dead-lifts, because my frakin knee is still a tad uncomfortable. No vein action yet. I went to the dungeon after a quality supper and rode for 1.5 hours on both the TT bike and road bike. I had the TT bike set on the trainer and would ride the new position for 20 min spurts and jump over to the rollers on the road bike for 10 min to change up the burn pattern on my under-carriage. Yup, all this indoor time is killing my shorts and my saddle sores. Are you serious? Snow Friday? As a teacher, I'm more excited about snow days than the kids. Enough to shut down school, but still allow a ride come Saturday.
1/21
What's the term that's being thrown around MABRA blogs this winter...Trainer Fail! That's it. It is a wonderful term that comes from failing to complete a prescribed workout either by mental or physical exhaustion(or both). Yup, I had a bit of Trainer Fail tonight as I attempted my over/under intervals. I have built up to this workout and can accomplish 5x10min intervals at LT(my last reps are always shaky but doable). So what happened to me tonight? Each set is 12 total minutes with 2 min at LT and 2 at VO2 x 3. It's great to be recovering dropping down to LT. My 1st set of three was beautiful and I hit all of my marks(while listening to The Prodigy). The second set was a bit more difficult and I could not hit the last 2min rep no matter what gear. The 3rd rep began difficult and only got worse.
On the downloaded file, the 3rd rep looks like the stock market two years ago. I really tried to get the numbers, but kept falling apart after a minute at each, so I ground down my teeth and pushed until about the 10 min mark before opting to fight another day. I think 910kjs in less than an hour will have to do. Regardless, it's still Trainer Fail!
1/23
The day of the dog. Twister, YoungGun, and I met to do a nice long E ride. The chill was not so bad, but the black ice was a bit hairy in places. I've never seen so many dogs willing to play "Eat the Scantily-clad Human". My crotch is still giving me a world of hurt, but we still did more than 3 hours of quality riding.
1/24
The day of the pain-meister. We had Ben, Dre, Jeff, Greg, Jack, Joe, Jinks, and myself vying for coveted KOM points on our ride today. Certainly the team tactics were second to none(learning), as was the quality of attacks and break situations. Everyone was quite impressive for this being Jan. and we all got put in the "hurt locker" at some point. For me, I started the day...ummm...a bit under 100%(DogFish head) and knew my time was limited off the front. I still tried to hide this fact, but Twister and YoungGun made me show my cards all too often. I was playing with Hallmark Cards to their poker cards! Even still, I felt like I did only two things that hurt my chances at all during the many min. and countless decisions.
I misjudged how bad-off a rider was(for that moment) and waited when I should have chased and I chose a tactic with my teammate at the time that did not work. That almost cost us a chance in the final Ks. It was such a great effort by all of the gang and in two weeks, we'll reap the benefits. I really am excited to do a 1,2,3 race with Jinks and Greg and hope we leave our mark(perhaps at RIR? Greg?) Overall, my last two laps were much better than my 1st two. I wished we did another lap to see if I was indeed getting better as suspected. Repeatability is nowhere near where it needs to be, but I like the introduction!
1/28
The DR said I need to stay off the bike this week because of the E-B fevers. I did so, reluctantly. Feeling much better and ready to give it a whirl this weekend. 45 min easy spin is all I've done all week, but that's just fine because I'm still able to ride with this disease.
1/30
Twister and I met up for about 3 hours of deep snow pedaling. We did stop to see Steve and Dre. Finally, we met Jinksy coming into town. Cold feet and hands, but what fun!
1/31
I just butchered myself today with an indoor slugfest. I borrowed a DVD from Dave that was created by Robbie Ventura. It was a 40 min 30+ race at Downer's Grove. I had to duplicate the intensities and do the ride like him. He spends a great deal of time near the front, which was really difficult(Lots of PE in the 8,9 levels). Since today was my loose and most intense day of the training week, I decided to do the entire thing again with 10 minutes of rest between. I got a calf cramp in the finishing sprint and finished the 2nd one as well. At one point I had to do a bridging interval of a min and I knew that this was going to be ugly(not there yet). It was hard settling into the break once I got there though. My total ride time was 2:15min and I had one of the largest kj burns of the year at 1780kjs. I'm clad in my compression gear and trying to get my balance still. Just what I wanted!
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