Another day, another mile

After next week's light 5hr recovery week, Build 1 will be in the history books. I wrapped up my 3rd week with the group ride. The route took us from Niceville, to Defuniak Springs and back to Niceville- a 70 mile loop. Even though I didn't feel super fresh on Saturday, it was a good thing I was feeling as good as I was. While most of the ride was fairly normal, albeit a slightly higher pace than usual, I had a couple of incidents that really pushed me to my limits.

We were on the homeward leg of the ride, and we'd already dropped a couple of riders. The group had just turned onto a military road that was gonna help us bypass some of the spring break traffic heading to the beaches. About a mile down the road and I slipped my chain. Maybe 15 seconds and I was back on my bike and moving, but that was plenty of time for a gap to develop...and a sizable gap at that. I was pushing hard to catch back on, as I didn't really want to spend the rest of the ride by myself. One of the group fell off the pace and after a few minutes I caught up to him. As I pulled along side of him I said "Let's see if we can't bridge up to the rest" and he said "ok". I continued with my pace, fully expecting him to sit on my wheel for a bit. After 2 or 3 minutes I look back and he was nowhere in sight. So much for getting some help.
The good news is I finally caught back up with them just as they were turning back onto the main road. About 10-12 miles down the road I get a flat tire, and after much fussing, fuming and creativeness I'm ready to go again. As I'm getting my crap back together the group goes ahead and takes off, and damn wouldn't you know it... another big gap to overcome. Another 20 min of pain and I catch back on. Now though I am toast. I have enough juice to stick on a wheel and that's it.
The upside to that whole thing is that my fitness has indeed come a long way. If that would've happened to me last year I never would've caught up, or at the very least I would've gotten dropped again because I wouldn't have been able to sustain the pace.

Because of my solo forays, my TSS for yesterday's ride was a whopping 193! That's the highest TSS I've recorded since I started using WKO.

Ohh, did I mention that I'm gonna have to get new tires? Whatever caused my flat tire put a nice big slice in it. I had to use the ole dollar bill trick to get home.
I only had this set of tires a month...ohh well. Considering that this is the first debris caused flat in 4000 miles, I shouldn't feel too bad.

The week, by the numbers:
Planned- 9hrs
Actual- 9:59
Miles- 203

I think I'm gonna hurl

I finally got around to those V02 max intervals, and I have to say that the '0' in V02 stands for "OW!" Damn, did those hurt. The interval session was, I admit, an overly aggressive one, but I thought I could pull it off. Unfortunately, I didn't complete the entire workout. The workout was scheduled as follows:

2hrs w/L5 workout
Warm up- 15 min <68% FTP
Blow out effort- 5 min 100%
Recover- 5 min 70%
Intervals, 3 min rest int. 6x3 min 117%
Recover- 10 min 70%
Intervals, 4 min, rest int. 4x2 min 113-120%
Cool-down- 15 min <68%

I needed to do those 3 minute intervals at any wattage over 410 watts. The first interval I averaged 412, and then the next one is what got me into trouble... I was now riding into the wind, and I really overcooked this one. The second interval I averaged 422 watts, with a sustained segment at almost 466 watts. The 3rd and 4th intervals topped out at 406 and 395 respectively. I bailed on the remainder of the intervals, after I couldn't get my wattage up.

On these short intervals there is a real trick to starting just hard enough and finishing strong. If you take too long to get your wattage up then you're not really getting the full effect of the interval, but if you go too hard too soon then you risk blowing up before the 3 minutes is up.

I'll try them again once I come off of next week's R&R week. I'll make sure I'm better rested, and I control my pacing a bit better.

Pain in satisfaction

Completing a successful workout can be extremely satisfying, even if it hurt like a mofo while you were doing it. During the toughest intervals your body is saying "just stop and the pain will go away"...but you muscle thru them and in a perverted sort of way, feel great afterwards.

Tomorrow is my day for V02 max intervals, and while part of me is not looking forward to it, the other part is saying "bring it".

Whoever said, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," must've been referring to intervals.

Toasty

A new training week began today, and being the glutton for punishment that I am, I kicked off the week with some sub threshold intervals. I would've normally held off on these till mid week, but I've got some V02 max intervals on the menu, so I was forced to do my sub threshold stuff today.
While the intervals were a success, I was struggling while doing them. I think I was still a little tired from the weekend. When I finished that second interval I was SO happy that I was done, because I was cooked. I'm really gonna appreciate the day off I have tomorrow. It'll give me some much needed recovery time, so that I'm ready for Wednesday, and what is sure to be my toughest workout so far.

I think I'll be needing the R&R that will be coming next week.

It takes all kinds

Despite missing Thursday, I'm still on track for the week. Today was the usual Sat. group ride.
We had a small group, made up mostly of the usual suspects, and one fella that must be bi-polar or somethin'. The route we took had more than the usual amount of climbing (for Florida, that is), and so the weaker riders were really fighting to hang on. They were obviously right on the edge for most of the ride. One guy, who was the oldest in the bunch (around 60 or so) was really having a rough go towards the end. To make matters worse he started cramping. It was at this point that Mr Bi-Polar decided to attack on a climb. Needless to say, Larry got spit out the back. When it was discovered that he had gotten dropped we went back for Larry, but Mr. BP kept on going.

I'm still trying to figure out why he wanted to make that guy crack. While these group rides are done at a fast pace, the pace isn't gonna be set so high as to make someone intentionally crack.

The word on BP guy is that one day he can be totally laid back and pretty calm, other days he's like totally psycho...going so far as to cause the occasional crash. Fortunately I've not had too much interaction with the guy...and I'm happy to keep it that way.

What would our world be without drama, huh?

Tomorrow I finish up my week with a 1hr recovery ride. That'll give me 9hrs for the week. Next week I'll be doing some anaerobic intervals...I can feel the bile rising in my throat already.

Thrashed

Last night I was wiped after my sub threshold intervals yesterday afternoon. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I was feeling the lingering effects today. I wasn't sore, but I was tired...tired enough that I laid down and dozed off late this afternoon for 30-45 minutes.

I was supposed to get some saddle time in today, but the weather had other plans. It was supposed to rain like crazy... and while it never did rain we were subjected to a steady 20mph wind. Given my lethargic state, I just couldn't deal with a 20mph wind. Tomorrow I'll pick up where I left off.

This is what I'm talkin' about!

February is over, and that means one thing. Race season is almost here! I can't believe that it's almost time for racing to begin. It seems like yesterday that I was slaving away at Base miles in mid December. My race prep/specialization training is in full swing.

For my last ride of the month I did another sub threshold workout, and today's session went MUCH better than my last attempt at these particular intervals. Last week I had to bail on my second interval, as I could not get my avg power where I needed it to be. Today though was a different story. On my first 20 min interval I avg'd 344 watts, and my second 20 min interval avg'd 343 watts. To say that I'm pleased with today's workout is an understatement.

I'm keeping this post short, as I'm beat after my ride.

TTFN

Local boy does good

The Tour of California has just wrapped up, and California boy Levi Leipheimer secured overall victory. If you didn't catch it, you missed a lively, action packed race. Levi's Discovery teammate George Hincapie broke his arm during Saturday's stage, and still managed to finish the stage and subsequently help keep the gold jersey on Leipheimer's back...what a stud! I hope he recovers quick enough to be on form for his bid at the spring classics.

While I enjoyed the Tour of California, I sure wish '06 winner Floyd Landis would've been competing, but alas it wasn't to be. On a related note... from what I've been reading lately, it sure appears that things are swinging in Floyd's favor. I'm pulling for Floyd, because dammit, I believe him when he says he hasn't taken any PEDs. I'm just afraid that he's gonna get off on a technicality, and while it gives him the right to return to racing, getting off like that will still have many people doubting his innocence...which I'm sure is something he is all too aware of.

The court of public opinion is the harshest court on the planet.

Coconut, it does the body good

I've tried several different sports drinks, starting with Powerbar Endurance, Hammer HEED, and finally Cytomax. I've been using Cytomax for the longest. The taste isn't offensive to me and it seems to work. But I'm always on the look out for something better; better taste, better electrolyte profile, etc.

A couple of years ago I read about the benefits of coconut water from the folks at ZICO. I was quite intrigued, but since no one in my area even heard of coconut water, much less carried it, I just filed the whole thing away. Well, today I was in our new Fresh Market, and I was browsing their cooler section, and what do I find? ZICO coconut water. I bought two containers of it, and I'll be using it next week. I hope it doesn't taste like crap, because I am impressed with it's nutrients. It has 5 electrolytes, including 670 mg of potassium. That's more than what is found in a banana! It even has some protein (albeit a tiny bit-1mg). All that in an 11oz container.


If it is as good as I think it's gonna be, then I've found my new sports drink.

That's a wrap

Another training week has come and gone. I finished up my first Build week with 3hrs 14min and 67 miles on the weekly club ride. Coming off of that sub threshold workout and recovery day must've done wonders for my form, because I had some legs today. You just love having one of those days, the day where your energy reserves seem to be endless and lactic acid never becomes a factor. It was fortunate I was feeling good, because towards the latter part of the ride we encountered a vicious crosswind in the form of 15mph SE winds. That was the only part of the ride that sucked. Other than that it was a great day in the saddle.

I ended the week with just over 10 hrs, and 215 miles. 9hrs per week will be as big as my work weeks get right thru the start of my race season.

A different kind of performance enhancer

I was perusing powertapgeek and saw a link to the following write up in Joe Friel's blog...changing your cleat position from the tried but true "Ball of the foot" location to the center of your foot. Talk about a radical departure from the norm. But Friel claims he's seen a 9% increase in his own performance. That is huge!

I'll be interested to see how this develops, but I'm in no rush to drill holes in my shoes.

Cobwebs

I'm close to wrapping up my first week of Build 1, and it has been a rude awakening. I learned really fast that I was a little rusty when it came to sustained high intensity workouts. Doin' nothing but endurance pace over the last 2.5 months really made this opening Build week a kick in the balls.
I managed some good tempo work, and today I did some sub threshold intervals. The sub threshold workout called for the following:
Warm-up- 15 min @ <68% of FTP
Blowout effort- 5 min @ 100%
Easy pace- 5 min @ <68%
Ride- 2 x 20 min w/10-15min recovery(@<76%) between sets @ 96-105%

I completed the first interval with no problems, but by the time I started that second set I couldn't generate the power to get my watts to the prescribed level. I needed to do the interval at a minimum of 333 watts, but by 13 min in I still was only at 308. I shut it down at that point, because there was nothing to be gained by completing the interval at a lower power...that said, something inside me said I shouldn't quit and man up and complete the workout. For almost a minute I waffled back and forth on whether I should complete the 20 minutes, but in the end common sense won out and I throttled back.

Friday will be a recovery ride, and then on Saturday I'll wrap up the week with a 3hr ride with the club.

As my form comes back I'll be looking forward to these workouts getting better and better. Easier would be nice too, but if your training is getting easy then you must be doing something wrong, or not enough of it.

Intensity

Base is over, and my first Build period started yesterday. Now I will start focusing on increasing my power, anaerobic capacity, and race specific skills. You know...the workouts that hurt like a mofo.

I tried to cap off last week's training with an FTP test, but coming off an illness...well, that was a good idea gone horribly wrong. I tried it again yesterday, and while it went better than Sunday's attempt, it was still not great. I fought wind both days, but I think that after almost 3 months of LSD riding, I'm a little stale in the hard effort department. So, for the time being I'm not gonna worry about the testing. After getting some more hard efforts in I might try the test later in the week. If I don't, no big deal.

A twist in the narrative

It's Sunday morning and I still only have 2hrs training time for the week. I know it was a recovery week, but this is ridiculous. I rode Wednesday, and then on Thursday it was nasty out, I'm talkin' frigid. It made the weather conditions for that infamous Saturday ride look like a summertime jaunt. So no ride on Thursday. Friday rolls around and it is only marginally better, but I'm not feeling well. Scratch Friday. Saturday is upon me and it is decidedly warmer (still windy), but now I'm full blown sick. Dammit.

Here I am on Sunday, 3hrs short of my schedule. I'll have to end up being short on my hours, as I'm not going to try and recoup those hours in one ride. I'll get a couple of hours in and then call it a week. I might even leave it at one hour so I don't tire myself out with a Build week starting tomorrow. I'll just play it by ear.

Check out my TSB(Training Stress Balance). It won't be that high again for a while.

If there's nothing to write, is it still a blog?

I've been kinda quiet the last couple of days, as there wasn't a lot to talk about. Being a recovery week I've only done 2hrs since Monday, and 1 of those hrs I did today. So, as I said, not much worth talking about training wise.

So, if I don't really have anything to say, why am blogging about it? I think it takes true talent to have nothing to say, but still be able to write about it anyway. Don't believe me? Just read the paper or listen to a politician talk.

In the interest of actually having something worthwhile to discuss...
I've been thinking about USA Cycling's '07 MTB National Racing Calendar. They say that the calendar is to give much deserved recognition to the organizers/promoters that put on some great events. Recognition is good, but are they really gonna get more participation now than they did in the past? I don't think the Bump n Grind needs to be part of the NRC to garner attention, they're doing great anyway. I would think that many events are in the same boat. The only thing I think they're hoping for is that this will now attract more pros since there are UCI points and series points available.
But is this new format really gonna attract the top athletes? Unless a pro lives near one of these races, he/she is gonna be hard pressed to take the time/energy to race there.

They're gonna be doing the NMBS races (the events formerly known as NORBA's) and the UCI World Cups, so why risk your fitness or valuable time to gain a few points? Not to mention, there won't be lots of competition for the pros at these smaller events. Even with the Semi pros or neo pros, it'd be like a top expert competing in the sport class.

I just don't see many top level pros entering these smaller races. They have too much to lose(no support, very few points, limited competition). Maybe I'm wrong..I kinda hope I am wrong. I'd love to see US mtn biking get a real shot in the arm. If it helps us compete on the international level then it's for the best.

What do you know, I really did have something to write about. Will miracles never cease.

At the start of last week, as I was looking at the number of training hours I had ahead of me, I was wondering if I'd get all 10.5 hrs in...and this was after completing a ride. Well, today is Sunday and I'm happy to report that I got my hours in. I even went over my time by an hour.

It was a long week. I rode everyday from Monday thru Saturday. The only respite I got was a recovery ride on Friday, and let me tell you, I needed that easier ride. After Thursday I was really feeling worn out. Thankfully Friday's easy ride recharged my batteries for the big day on Saturday, and a big day it was.
I left the house just before 8am and didn't get back until after 1:30pm. It was a gorgeous day, if a little cool, so it made for a good ride. The Saturday club rides make are a good way to get those longer rides done. It sure beats riding alone for 3hrs.

For all you Northerners, you'll have fun with this. By looking at the riders in this pic you would think it is REALLY cold. Well, when I snapped it was probably around 45 degrees or so. Can you imagine what they'd dress like when it is honest to God cold?

One of the great things about riding with a group. Wind protection while in a paceline!

So, exactly how many cyclists does it take to change a tire?

Except for a recovery week starting tomorrow, I am finished with Base riding. Next up volume will decrease while intensity skyrockets.

Could it be?

When I've raced, and even Time Trialed, my threshold HR was in the 170s. I could always tell when I had reached that range, but current indications are that I must be getting more aerobically fit, as I've hit the 170s, but didn't realize it until I got home and analyzed my ride files. Seeing a max of 176bpm came as a surprise, and I had to review the actual ride graphs to find out when/where I hit that number.


I'll be doing some formal testing next week, so it'll be interesting to see if a 20 minute TT bears out what I've been seeing this week.

This is more like it!

Temperatures have crept up in the last couple of days, and it is most welcomed. Yesterday I had a good ride, due in no small part to the weather. I logged a total of 2hrs, but I did an hour of Tempo...averaging 300 watts for that hour, which makes me feel good that after all the lower intensity work that I still have something that resembles power.

New soles

After almost 3000 miles on my current tires, it was time to get new shoes for the roadie. What necessitated it was the fact that I noticed this morning that my front tire was soft (that's the same tire that gave me so much trouble on Saturday). I found some a piece of glass embedded in the tire, and I think that was the culprit or at least part of the problem. It wasn't deep enough to out and out poke thru the tire, because when I initially got that flat I ran my fingers around the inside of the tire and I didn't feel anything. I think it wouldn't poke thru until there was some weight/pressure on the tire.

Whatever the cause, I took it as a sign to slap some new rubber on there. The previous tires were Maxxis Detonators, and they were super durable. Saturday was the first flat I had encountered since I put those tires on. My local bike shop didn't have a lot of selection when it came to reasonably priced tires, and it just so happens that they had Detonators in stock, I figured why change something that works?

Sold by volume

Today starts my biggest week I will see all year long. The highest volume I will hit any week this year is 10.5 hrs, and even then I won't hit that many hours again until late summer when I rebuild after my July races. After that many hours I will be looking forward to the R&R week next week.