Kush's semi-training thread
- Thread starter kush
- Start date
Interesting, as I'm in the same "what to do" boat about cx for next year. The thing about the Mac is that no matter what, the competition is deep. So you can't really choose wrong if you're looking for a good old-fashioned ass kicking.
Ted - I'm uncertain about any of that, as I don't have enough data to really compare. While they may not have been drilling it, my time being 4 minutes faster than the 35+ winner is interesting. If nothing else, it does say that the 35+ field drops off precipitously. I think the B class has a larger envelope in that regard.
But until you get head-to-head, it's all speculation. And at the end of the conversation, the 35+ guys can race the Bs (unless they're cat 2 of course) in which case you'd have some real rubber meeting the road. Grass. Mud. Or whatever it is we ride on.
You highlighted the 2 key things: actually entering against them and timing (i.e. absence of certain riders due to race conflict). All I can suggest is to sign up and try it. I did USGP M35 in the mud bog the other year and was never so nervous about getting lapped by Roger A and Richard Feldman (who has these fancy rainbow stripes on his sleeve from his M-WC title in the TT). Most feel that you graduate to M35, but I'd be curious to hear Jim V weigh in here vis a vis NJCX Cup. I was scoring for the M35 race and the 2 leaders were easily holding conversations with each other and breathing through their noses. I only saw clenched arm muscles and teeth at the start and last 100yds.
One other item that you noted is that M35's cover Cat2, whereas B's are Cat 3 typically, so the faster guys, with slight dashes of gray hair that make them appear more stately, should be in M35, not B's. Again, CX is growing very fast, which is great, but a little bit of a shakedown in categories could help (NB - I'm not crying sandbag at all, more that people come to CX late and it typically takes 2-3 seasons to figure out which Cat you belong to). A "junior development" thought being thrown around is letting the young guys race M35 to match the time of the bigger races, but get serious racing, with guys who have great speed, tactics and skills, rather than force them into A's/Open Pro, which reinforces that the Master's "should" be faster than B's (again, ceteris paribus).
And final thought; as with any race, the racers make the race, so it can be as hard or easy as the entrants allow. If no one chases the superfast guy off the front, you have big gaps. If guys road trip, you have gaps in entry, etc, etc.
Apologies to Kush for highjacking this.
One thing I need to clarify - I'm not suggesting the Bs are in line with the Roger's and Maurice's of the world. I'm really talking in terms of the NJ cup 35+. In the MAC it's different, where the clear progression is A masters, then Bs, then B masters - his is ignoring the elite class for the sake of this comversation. At least that's my perception. I'm not so delusional that I think I could race the A masters and sniff a podium, unless I literally walked up to the podium and smelled it after the fast guys stepped off with their medals.
The NJ series does not draw that field in the 35+ though, the big boys race in the As. Well, all 5 of them. My understanding is that 35+ is where fast guys go when they get sick of getting beat by the kids, this is actually how it's been described to me. In NJ, the Bs are actually restriced to cat 3, at least according to the bikereg pages. That probably limits the top end of the B class to a point. I understand why they do it, but it also limits the B field.
I'll likely run out this year in the Bs, just because I enjoy the class and this will likely be my last year in it, because I'll upgrade to cat 2 and I won't be eligible for the series next year, assuming all goes well to end the year. So the debate for me will be 35+ versus As in NJ. I really dislike that 5-6 man field in the As. Because of this, my focus may very well be the Mac next year.
I guess one question here would be, can the NJ series support all these classes? Even the Bs are getting pretty sparse. The last 2 races were good, but Hidden Valley was a solo endeavor for me. After the first lap, I neither passed nor was passed by anyone. Too few people.
Kush enjoys this talk, as we were texting a bit about it yesterday.
The NJ series does not draw that field in the 35+ though, the big boys race in the As. Well, all 5 of them. My understanding is that 35+ is where fast guys go when they get sick of getting beat by the kids, this is actually how it's been described to me. In NJ, the Bs are actually restriced to cat 3, at least according to the bikereg pages. That probably limits the top end of the B class to a point. I understand why they do it, but it also limits the B field.
I'll likely run out this year in the Bs, just because I enjoy the class and this will likely be my last year in it, because I'll upgrade to cat 2 and I won't be eligible for the series next year, assuming all goes well to end the year. So the debate for me will be 35+ versus As in NJ. I really dislike that 5-6 man field in the As. Because of this, my focus may very well be the Mac next year.
I guess one question here would be, can the NJ series support all these classes? Even the Bs are getting pretty sparse. The last 2 races were good, but Hidden Valley was a solo endeavor for me. After the first lap, I neither passed nor was passed by anyone. Too few people.
Kush enjoys this talk, as we were texting a bit about it yesterday.
kush
Active Member
When I see the B's in the MAC that Fred races with my first thought is that I would be murdered and then killed. These guys are crazy fit, well, at least the top 20 or so. There is for sure a very clear depth differential between NJ Bs and MAC Bs.
I don't talk about my age much, but my "CX racing age" is 43 now... Like it or not, I'm not recovering from a Sat race as fast as a 25 year old for a Sunday race.
I can see a scenario where I race MAC 35+, and NJ Bs. Or B's in both just to be murdered consistently. The good thing is that I won't be chasing any series next year like I did this year, and probably not chasing upgrade points, so I can do whatever.
I don't talk about my age much, but my "CX racing age" is 43 now... Like it or not, I'm not recovering from a Sat race as fast as a 25 year old for a Sunday race.
I can see a scenario where I race MAC 35+, and NJ Bs. Or B's in both just to be murdered consistently. The good thing is that I won't be chasing any series next year like I did this year, and probably not chasing upgrade points, so I can do whatever.
I look at the Mac B results and see guys like Blackman, Blake, and Bill A coming in the 20-30 range. In NJ, Blackman was 2 for 2 in winning his races, Blake is often on the podium, and Bill won Greystone. I'd be reasonably solid pack fodder, but pack fodder nonetheless. Those Bs are mad fast - like the top 30 even. Any 1 of those top 30 could show up to a NJ B race and podium.
I like a series as it keeps my focused at this time of year when I just want to drink beer. Having said that, I certainly understand the desire to not want to be tied to it.
I like a series as it keeps my focused at this time of year when I just want to drink beer. Having said that, I certainly understand the desire to not want to be tied to it.
I'm not surprised. 35+ races at 9:00 am:
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=11882
I said this to Fred yesterday. In just a few days, the race season will be over for 3 months.
With the growth of the sport, and increase in races, things have definitely changed for sure. There are so many more UCI races now, and many people travel to races rather than the local scene, so there is some dilution, either in speed or number of entrants at the local gigs. With the recategorization (e.g. B's are C3, not 2,3,4), the realignment will occur, but if Roger, Maurice, et al, continue to travel, the local races will have smaller fields (which is entirely their choice - I'm purely putting names on "fast guys"). I've been curious about merging M35 and A's in the non-UCI point races to increase the entry numbers and ensure "super fast" local races, and maybe make it 50min so that it isn't too much longer, nor much shorter than the Open Pro cat. Or maybe another year is necessary "with the top-5 and your out" to help fill in more fast guys in M35 and A's. Not sure.
In my view, the Roger/Maurice dynamic should pervade the M35 races, whether local or UCI. As for skipping A's b/c of small field, I hear that a bit, and wonder if all the fast guys who feel that way signed up, you'd have 15-20 at local races, who would then do M35 at regional races and have a very fast field in both settings. Once you have 15 fast guys in a race, not having 80 on the grid isn't such a big deal, you're still trying to claw up to one guy and avoid getting caught by another.
Part of me is nostalgic that if you don't have the local races, the community feeling disappears a bit and some of the fun - think of the "I just want to ride my bike" theory - MAC series chasing is clearly not conducive to that. Perhaps I just pine for the days when "early registration is worth hundreds of hours of training" was not the norm. My first year racing CX I raced C's on a SS and we had 2 races @ Craigmeur, 4 @ Sussex and a bunch of others and all fields had 15-25 guys. States on T-day weekend at Sussex had 58 on the grid for C's and I couldn't believe it (and got really excited after I got my very first call up!). After USGP came to town in 2007, the local races suffered in attendance and road tripping became much more common. Part of it is working the calendar out and part of it is getting the fast guys together as opposed to spread across A, B, M35-45. I too, have not been around long enough to know the best way to address.
In my view, the Roger/Maurice dynamic should pervade the M35 races, whether local or UCI. As for skipping A's b/c of small field, I hear that a bit, and wonder if all the fast guys who feel that way signed up, you'd have 15-20 at local races, who would then do M35 at regional races and have a very fast field in both settings. Once you have 15 fast guys in a race, not having 80 on the grid isn't such a big deal, you're still trying to claw up to one guy and avoid getting caught by another.
Part of me is nostalgic that if you don't have the local races, the community feeling disappears a bit and some of the fun - think of the "I just want to ride my bike" theory - MAC series chasing is clearly not conducive to that. Perhaps I just pine for the days when "early registration is worth hundreds of hours of training" was not the norm. My first year racing CX I raced C's on a SS and we had 2 races @ Craigmeur, 4 @ Sussex and a bunch of others and all fields had 15-25 guys. States on T-day weekend at Sussex had 58 on the grid for C's and I couldn't believe it (and got really excited after I got my very first call up!). After USGP came to town in 2007, the local races suffered in attendance and road tripping became much more common. Part of it is working the calendar out and part of it is getting the fast guys together as opposed to spread across A, B, M35-45. I too, have not been around long enough to know the best way to address.
The series chasing to me is more stress, but that is largely due to my travel schedule. I just like to race whenever possible and see what I have on the day; the season is my series. Definitely reduces burn out (and gives me a better shot at actually having a good race before rolling up the tents and tape in December).
My gut feel is many of the guys on the front of MAC B's have ~4.3-4.5 w/kg at threshold. That's no joke for what are predominantly weekend warriors. I have no PM data to support that, but given where I am and where they are, that should be about right.
That's certainly more healthy. On the mtb I don't have a problem not chasing the series. But I also know myself, and if I wasn't where I am in the points race, I would have been at Ilya's house Sunday was a kegger waiting for him to get home. This gives me discipline at a time of year when I really need it. It's easier to have discipline when the sun rises at 4:53 am and it's 60 degrees out already.
Delish
Well-Known Member
The NJ Series may be sparse at this point in the B's and A's but I think it is great for the development of the sport, which is why I am going to make every effort to do the rest of these events. Think of them as the gateway drug for many people who might otherwise never try cyclocross (and cyclocross as the gateway drug for many people to try other forms of bike racing). As Norm and I both know any given first-time pack-fodder C racer could be reaching for podiums the following season. Needless to say, I'm with TedH on a correlation between "community" and fun.
We've traveled from Delaware and New Hampshire for races CX this season and it has been interesting to do huge festival races and small local ones. We are lucky in that any given weekend there are 3-5 different races within a 2 hour drive of NYC. But that is exactly what leads to dilution.
For me, I think increasing overall participation is the answer because it will guarantee the luxury of being able to chose events and/or fields that suit one's schedule and ability. I would love to see participation rates in the sport reach Pacific Northwest levels. Nearly every Cross Crusade event this year has drawn well over 1000 entries compared to 200-300 a decade ago. Hell, the Cross Crusade Unicycle class last weekend had more entries than the Sussex Men's A field. And that's drawing from a Portland metro area population of only about 2 million people compared to 20 million people in the tri-state area. You do the math....
I have a drive to race length ratio that is not to exceed 2x unless friends live in the area and I can visit. That basically means Wissahickon (sadly off the books this year) and Whirlybird are the farthest I go since I went to college in the area with few exceptions (Nats 1x and SSCXWC 1x). It also means I can primarily race for fun without destroying all of my personal time, leaving my wife behind too often and keeping it fun.
kush
Active Member
So since the LI Mac races, I've been stuffing my face like crazy. I gained 1-2 lbs, not sure, don't care! Been riding my MTB sometimes, and not training at all.
The time off has been way overdue. Also the MBU bank slowly getting back to normal.
I got my upgrades to Cat 3 for CX, and Cat 1 for MTB. Yay, going to get murdered next year. And this weekend 😀
I have been playing with my power meter.
I found out my FTP is 293. What does it mean? 3.7watts per kilogram of weight. The fatter and less fit I get, the lower that number goes!
But what does it mean compared to the outside world? Pro-tour guys are 6-6.8w/kg. My ratio right now is top of Cat 4, bottom of Cat 3 road according to some stuff written by some person. Which I guess is pretty good for me right about now but meaningless really as I'm entering the offseason and not starting a race season.
I read half of that book, Training and Racing with Power, and its f'n gold. For anyone with a PM its a must. They explain all that nerdy crap Norm talks about in his egghead section.
What does this really do for me? Well, when I was doing the crazy 12 weeks of cross thing, I was flying blind by HR or RPE. Now, I now exactly what level of EFFORT I have to put out to hit a particular level in a training routine. I can also benchmark my performance from period to period, I can create a precise power and fatigue profiles to pinpoint exactly my weaknesses, and all this other intense shit that I may just bag and ride my bike again for fun. When the nerdy crap stops being fun.
I guess the semi-training came to an end. As soon as my time off is over!
And this chart shows my TSS over past couple weeks - wooohoo no stress this week!! (except it doesn't show all the f'n stress I had with my dad being in town for a week ...)
The time off has been way overdue. Also the MBU bank slowly getting back to normal.
I got my upgrades to Cat 3 for CX, and Cat 1 for MTB. Yay, going to get murdered next year. And this weekend 😀
I have been playing with my power meter.
I found out my FTP is 293. What does it mean? 3.7watts per kilogram of weight. The fatter and less fit I get, the lower that number goes!
But what does it mean compared to the outside world? Pro-tour guys are 6-6.8w/kg. My ratio right now is top of Cat 4, bottom of Cat 3 road according to some stuff written by some person. Which I guess is pretty good for me right about now but meaningless really as I'm entering the offseason and not starting a race season.
I read half of that book, Training and Racing with Power, and its f'n gold. For anyone with a PM its a must. They explain all that nerdy crap Norm talks about in his egghead section.
What does this really do for me? Well, when I was doing the crazy 12 weeks of cross thing, I was flying blind by HR or RPE. Now, I now exactly what level of EFFORT I have to put out to hit a particular level in a training routine. I can also benchmark my performance from period to period, I can create a precise power and fatigue profiles to pinpoint exactly my weaknesses, and all this other intense shit that I may just bag and ride my bike again for fun. When the nerdy crap stops being fun.
I guess the semi-training came to an end. As soon as my time off is over!
And this chart shows my TSS over past couple weeks - wooohoo no stress this week!! (except it doesn't show all the f'n stress I had with my dad being in town for a week ...)
Attachments
kush
Active Member
b race
I lined up in back of the Bs today and took 11th out of 22.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58772249
Norm's silly prediction that I would beat him was cute and all that, but alas it was not even in the realm of reality. I haven't been riding, and stopped all training after Thanksgiving, and gained 2 lbs. And in general, just like tomorrow's results today, I'm the Norm of last year.
Whenever the furry one says he's sick, he does better than when he is not sick. He beat me by 2.5 minutes over the ~10 mile course.
From the warmup laps with Norm and another guy from HG, I already loved the course. There weren't stupid flow killing things that are so en vogue these days. Maybe you'll see them at a Weber organized event, but not at the Horsehoe, this was a non-roadie power thieving bike handling superflowy course. And MUD!!! Big props!
The Race
Lined up last, was in last onto the course, passed some people. It was not nearly the clusterfuck that C's tend to be in the tighter stuff. Guys get it done. Some fall down, and get right back up.
Then came my favorite feature that I've been begging for, the mud pit. This is where guys were having all sorts of problems, and I made up a lot of time here usually. There is something about mud and snow that I just like.
In this section the cheering was unbelievably cool. All of the peeps, thanks guys you rule!
Anyways, the rest of it not so interesting. I told myself I'd try to pace myself, and I had my power and HR right there in big digits on the handlebars, but it's impossible to follow when you're trying to hang with peeps.
So I kind of petered out to the end, but the net result of the petering was that a 17 year old kid made up a 30 second gap and passed me on the last lap. And I was within striking distance of couple guys which would put me in Top 10, but I failed there.
Anyways, the highlight was absolutely the mudpit and the inhabitants thereof.
nerd stuff
So tonight I started to overanalyze what and why happened because the Power Meter is like this drug to me now. But I don't have enough time to sort out all the software features, and not having really finished the book, I started to get wrapped up in my shorts, so I went back to Garmin Connect
My average power was 276 for 51 minutes today.
At the LI races, I was at 298 for 41 minutes, and the distance was exactly the same.
I can overlay the efforts in WKO+, but this software is not exactly user friendly right now, so I tossed it.
LI race was also at a peak, and I didn't do the equivalent of 11x4:4 efforts at close to max HR at 11pm the night before (hockey).
I'm trying to figure out whether the hockey intervals really do play a role or not. I guess the answer is some, because in a strict 20 mins TT I did this week, my FTP was 293, and here 276 for 53 minutes would imply that this should be damn close to my FTP.
But a presumably apples/apples difference close to 20watts just because of hockey?? I don't think so, or at least not the whole thing. I assume part of the answer is that a cross race while pretty good for this, is probably not the best indicator.
Anyways, what does it all mean?
Who the f knows. I guess I could have gone faster. Or slower..
/pointless measurebating off
I'll sort some stuff out for the offseason training over some vodka shots tomorrow with some people faster than me.
I lined up in back of the Bs today and took 11th out of 22.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/58772249
Norm's silly prediction that I would beat him was cute and all that, but alas it was not even in the realm of reality. I haven't been riding, and stopped all training after Thanksgiving, and gained 2 lbs. And in general, just like tomorrow's results today, I'm the Norm of last year.
Whenever the furry one says he's sick, he does better than when he is not sick. He beat me by 2.5 minutes over the ~10 mile course.
From the warmup laps with Norm and another guy from HG, I already loved the course. There weren't stupid flow killing things that are so en vogue these days. Maybe you'll see them at a Weber organized event, but not at the Horsehoe, this was a non-roadie power thieving bike handling superflowy course. And MUD!!! Big props!
The Race
Lined up last, was in last onto the course, passed some people. It was not nearly the clusterfuck that C's tend to be in the tighter stuff. Guys get it done. Some fall down, and get right back up.
Then came my favorite feature that I've been begging for, the mud pit. This is where guys were having all sorts of problems, and I made up a lot of time here usually. There is something about mud and snow that I just like.
In this section the cheering was unbelievably cool. All of the peeps, thanks guys you rule!
Anyways, the rest of it not so interesting. I told myself I'd try to pace myself, and I had my power and HR right there in big digits on the handlebars, but it's impossible to follow when you're trying to hang with peeps.
So I kind of petered out to the end, but the net result of the petering was that a 17 year old kid made up a 30 second gap and passed me on the last lap. And I was within striking distance of couple guys which would put me in Top 10, but I failed there.
Anyways, the highlight was absolutely the mudpit and the inhabitants thereof.
nerd stuff
So tonight I started to overanalyze what and why happened because the Power Meter is like this drug to me now. But I don't have enough time to sort out all the software features, and not having really finished the book, I started to get wrapped up in my shorts, so I went back to Garmin Connect
My average power was 276 for 51 minutes today.
At the LI races, I was at 298 for 41 minutes, and the distance was exactly the same.
I can overlay the efforts in WKO+, but this software is not exactly user friendly right now, so I tossed it.
LI race was also at a peak, and I didn't do the equivalent of 11x4:4 efforts at close to max HR at 11pm the night before (hockey).
I'm trying to figure out whether the hockey intervals really do play a role or not. I guess the answer is some, because in a strict 20 mins TT I did this week, my FTP was 293, and here 276 for 53 minutes would imply that this should be damn close to my FTP.
But a presumably apples/apples difference close to 20watts just because of hockey?? I don't think so, or at least not the whole thing. I assume part of the answer is that a cross race while pretty good for this, is probably not the best indicator.
Anyways, what does it all mean?
Who the f knows. I guess I could have gone faster. Or slower..
/pointless measurebating off
I'll sort some stuff out for the offseason training over some vodka shots tomorrow with some people faster than me.
kush
Active Member
My year in numbers 😀
Notes and stuff:
My total saddle time is up 27% from last year. 422 hrs in 2010 versus 333 in 2009.
The MTB time was slashed in half. Not the best stat, but ...
CX was much more as I really got into it.
So far at least, the trainer time is half of 2009. Trying to keep it that way.
The other stuff I did in 2009 as well, just didn't track. Minus the tri training.
The cycling time with kids - 20 hours is probably low by half, as I probably had the Garmin with us only half the time. I would say 40 hours, so I'm happy with that - this is a key stat yo!
In 2009 and 2010 I had no formal training plan; something semi-structured at best. In 2011, I do have a plan, so far laid out only through Battenkill and SSAP. The next 100 days or so till Bkill are relatively structured, and intended to raise my FTP.
Some seriously cool stuff I have going on at work will for sure interrupt all this.
Looking at the count of activities - 374 - does that mean I did some form of exercise on average of more than once every day?? That can't be right.
Happy New Year everyone!
Notes and stuff:
My total saddle time is up 27% from last year. 422 hrs in 2010 versus 333 in 2009.
The MTB time was slashed in half. Not the best stat, but ...
CX was much more as I really got into it.
So far at least, the trainer time is half of 2009. Trying to keep it that way.
The other stuff I did in 2009 as well, just didn't track. Minus the tri training.
The cycling time with kids - 20 hours is probably low by half, as I probably had the Garmin with us only half the time. I would say 40 hours, so I'm happy with that - this is a key stat yo!
In 2009 and 2010 I had no formal training plan; something semi-structured at best. In 2011, I do have a plan, so far laid out only through Battenkill and SSAP. The next 100 days or so till Bkill are relatively structured, and intended to raise my FTP.
Some seriously cool stuff I have going on at work will for sure interrupt all this.
Looking at the count of activities - 374 - does that mean I did some form of exercise on average of more than once every day?? That can't be right.
Happy New Year everyone!
kush
Active Member
Day before Battenkill
I thought I would give a recap of what I did the last few months leading into this race.
In 2011
- 2,141 miles
- 137 hours
This is 22% more than same time last year, and double the year before last.
My weight is down from 180-185 last year, to 173 now. Year before last it was 190ish. My power is up 10% from beginning of the year. May not seem like much but it is.
This year I started training with a purpose, structure and power, and its full training, not semi. I’m not feeling the need to change thread title though. Compared to some, I’m still semi-training.
Last year, most of my rides were at endurance/tempo. This year, even in the off-season, I incorporated a lot of intensity.
This is the kind of stuff I’m doing before work:
MS: DO 4 x 1 minute fast pedaling intervals with cadence over 100, and not worrying too much about your wattage, focus more on your cadence and pedaling smooth. Then 5 minutes easy and then do (6) x 2 minute Time trials, with your cadence at 5 rpm below your normal cadence, trying to build a little more muscle strength here. Start from 23-25mph and then hammer it for 2 minutes…. Shoot for 135% of your Threshold. Blow right at the end ! REST for 2minutes between each. Then 10minutes easy and finish with (1) 6 minute Time trial !! Hammer them !!! Really go and push it at your normal self-selected cadence.
This year I’ve ridden through all weather conditions, 2 degree farenheit cold, snow, rain, etc. Most of my training rides are at 5am (3-4x per week), with a big ride or two on the weekend. I don’t really question my commitment, it has become second nature. When I don’t ride, I miss it. To keep my mind occupied and sane, I listen to audiobooks. I also work a 50 hour week. I believe all this is sustainable if I keep my family happy.
I don’t have time to maintain this blog. The only reason I’m updating it now is because I don’t have time to ride pre-race openers this morning before kids’ hockey practice, I’ll do those afterwards, before we get on the road to Saratoga Springs, NY.
Kid’s hockey is a priority on the weekends that scratches most Sunday morning rides or races except for the really special ones. I coach my kids and their team at the Mites level, which is 6-9 year olds.
My strengths are my 5min+ power and bike handling, and my weakness is my sprint (<5 min power). I don’t know what a mountain bike looks like anymore for obvious reasons. I’m focused on working on sprints in the next 8 week block.
Battenkill and SSAP are a peak in my plan. One of two peaks. These two races are my favorite races of the year. Last year I took 5th in Cat 5 Bkill, and I won the sport class in SSAP. This year I’m Cat 4 in road, and Cat 1 in MTB, so I don’t expect to do as well, but my goals are to murder and help my team and other good friends riding with Norm, Fred and I.
I don’t know how I will do. My peak has produced the planned result, I feel great, and I have no excuses. I’m riding with people mostly faster than me, which is good. There are 120 people in our Bkill group. The HoH was a good warmup. Another weakness is that I’m impatient. I never hide in the pack.
I have to go make breakfast for my boys.
I thought I would give a recap of what I did the last few months leading into this race.
In 2011
- 2,141 miles
- 137 hours
This is 22% more than same time last year, and double the year before last.
My weight is down from 180-185 last year, to 173 now. Year before last it was 190ish. My power is up 10% from beginning of the year. May not seem like much but it is.
This year I started training with a purpose, structure and power, and its full training, not semi. I’m not feeling the need to change thread title though. Compared to some, I’m still semi-training.
Last year, most of my rides were at endurance/tempo. This year, even in the off-season, I incorporated a lot of intensity.
This is the kind of stuff I’m doing before work:
MS: DO 4 x 1 minute fast pedaling intervals with cadence over 100, and not worrying too much about your wattage, focus more on your cadence and pedaling smooth. Then 5 minutes easy and then do (6) x 2 minute Time trials, with your cadence at 5 rpm below your normal cadence, trying to build a little more muscle strength here. Start from 23-25mph and then hammer it for 2 minutes…. Shoot for 135% of your Threshold. Blow right at the end ! REST for 2minutes between each. Then 10minutes easy and finish with (1) 6 minute Time trial !! Hammer them !!! Really go and push it at your normal self-selected cadence.
This year I’ve ridden through all weather conditions, 2 degree farenheit cold, snow, rain, etc. Most of my training rides are at 5am (3-4x per week), with a big ride or two on the weekend. I don’t really question my commitment, it has become second nature. When I don’t ride, I miss it. To keep my mind occupied and sane, I listen to audiobooks. I also work a 50 hour week. I believe all this is sustainable if I keep my family happy.
I don’t have time to maintain this blog. The only reason I’m updating it now is because I don’t have time to ride pre-race openers this morning before kids’ hockey practice, I’ll do those afterwards, before we get on the road to Saratoga Springs, NY.
Kid’s hockey is a priority on the weekends that scratches most Sunday morning rides or races except for the really special ones. I coach my kids and their team at the Mites level, which is 6-9 year olds.
My strengths are my 5min+ power and bike handling, and my weakness is my sprint (<5 min power). I don’t know what a mountain bike looks like anymore for obvious reasons. I’m focused on working on sprints in the next 8 week block.
Battenkill and SSAP are a peak in my plan. One of two peaks. These two races are my favorite races of the year. Last year I took 5th in Cat 5 Bkill, and I won the sport class in SSAP. This year I’m Cat 4 in road, and Cat 1 in MTB, so I don’t expect to do as well, but my goals are to murder and help my team and other good friends riding with Norm, Fred and I.
I don’t know how I will do. My peak has produced the planned result, I feel great, and I have no excuses. I’m riding with people mostly faster than me, which is good. There are 120 people in our Bkill group. The HoH was a good warmup. Another weakness is that I’m impatient. I never hide in the pack.
I have to go make breakfast for my boys.
Semi training?? Compared to who..Joaquin Rodriguez?
Norm has the reputation for being able to bend time, time is bending you but you don't seem like your going to break...and that is a good thing. While I couldn't keep up your schedule/ pace you are an inspiration. Have a good time this weekend, I'll see you at ssap.😉