E2 (Endurance Ride)

Another day getting up early to perform an E2 (endurance) ride. Same as last time I performed P1 (jumps) the night before. This time however I wasn't as smart and thought it would benifit my training to stay up late and watch the Minnesota Wild beat the Ducks. 4:30 AM came really early and surprisingly I rolled out of bed without to much pain. Andrea got up at the same time and I got her bike ready to ride outside on the road and was on the bike a little before 5:00 AM. Although I was tired and the legs felt a little stiff, the ride went well and I averaged a fairly good pace for the entire 2 hours. I always get a good sense of satifaction when the ride is done and I have the entire rest of the day ahead of me.

Summary
Duration: 2:00
Average Speed: 18.3 mph
Average Power: 217 watts
Average Heart Rate: 152 bpm

Detailed Results

0:00:00 - 0:10:00: Warm up

0:10:00 - 2:00:00: E2 (18.5 mph, 222 watts ,153 bpm)

P1 (Jumps)

This workout is designed to develop explosive power in the legs. This is useful when passing, clearing short steep climbs, and finish sprints. They are structured as follows; sprint using full force while standing for 8 - 10 revalutions of the crank, then recover until the next minute starts. Perform 5 jumps and then take a 5 minutes recovery between sets.

The legs were feeling a little wierd after nearly 100 miles on the road over the weekend. I come to the same realization over and over that I Don't like the cold. My legs get stiff and I can never seem to get them going. Anyway the jumps went well and I could sense more power in the legs. For the first set of jumps, the tension on the trainer was too low and the rear wheel was slipping as I ramped up the speed. I made an adjustement and all was well. I performed 6 sets of 5 jumps.

Summary
0:00:00 - 0:10:00: Warm-up
0:10:00 - 0:20:00: E2
0:20:00 - 0:25:00: Interval 1 (44.6/42.9/34.9/38.2/37.1)
0:25:00 - 0:30:00: Recovery
0:30:00 - 0:35:00: Interval 2 (35.8/37.3/36.3/37.1/36.8)
0:35:00 - 0:40:00: Recovery
0:40:00 - 0:45:00: Interval 3 (36.8/36.7/35.3/36.4/37.1)
0:45:00 - 0:50:00: Recovery
0:50:00 - 0:55:00: Interval 4 (35.5/36.3/37.0/34.5/36.1)
0:55:00 - 1:00:00: Recovery
1:00:00 - 1:05:00: Interval 5 (35.6/36.3/35.4/35.8/35.9)
1:05:00 - 1:10:00: Recovery
1:10:00 - 1:15:00: Interval 6 (35.2/35.6/35.5/35.3/34.2)
1:15:00 - 1:30:00: E2 (17.8 mph, 204 wattts, 157 bpm)

M4 (Criss-Cross Threshold)

Breakthrough Workout:

I really wanted to hit this workout hard. Because I completed my last E2 (endurance) ride early Wednesday morning I was well rested (36 hours) and the legs felt good. The last time I performed the M4 workout my work intervals were at around 20.9 mph and the rest intervals were at 19.9 mph. The goal for this workout would be to hold over 21 mph and 20 mph respectively. During the warm-up my legs felt really good and my heart rate remained fairly low for the effort. During the intervals I easily hit my goals and they were easier than last time. I had enough energy in the legs that I decided to finish the workout with a one hour duration at slightly below my lactic threshold (19.5 mph, 250 watts). I found it fairly easy to hold that pace for then next 45 minutes. The last 15 minutes, however, I struggled to hold that pace and it slipped to around 19 mph at the end. In all a very good workout; I can feel it in the legs going up and down the stairs.

Summary
Duration: 2:00:00
Intervals: 5
Interval Duration: 4 minutes
Rest Duration: 4 minutes

Detailed
0:00:00 - 0:10:00: Warm-up
0:10:00 - 0:20:00: E2
0:20:00 - 0:24:00: Lead in Interval
0:24:00 - 0:28:00: Interval 1: 21 mph
0:28:00 - 0:32:00: LT Tolerance1: 20 mph
0:32:00 - 0:36:00: Interval 2: 21 mph
0:36:00 - 0:40:00: LT Tolerance 2: 20 mph
0:40:00 - 0:44:00: Interval 3: 21 mph
0:44:00 - 0:48:00: LT Tolerance 3: 20 mph
0:48:00 - 0:52:00: Interval 4: 21 mph0:
0:52:00 - 0:56:00: LT Tolerance 4: 20 mph
0:56:00 - 1:00:00: Interval 5: 21 mph
1:00:00 - 2:00:00: Threshold: 19.5 mph

Weight Training

Second day and still a little sore from Mondays workout. Overall felt good and the strength is still there.

Chest:
Dumbel Press: 40 x 16; 45 x 20
Bench Press: 180 x 12

Back:
Seated Rows: 40 x 20; 60 x 20
Lat Pull Downs: 50 x 20; 60 x 20

Shoulders:
Front Raises: 10 x 20; 15 x 20
45 deg Raises: 10 x 20; 10 x 20

Arms:
One Arm Curls: 20 x 20; 25 x 20
Tricept Extensions: 40 x 20, 50 x 20

Stomach:
Side Raises: 35 x 20; 35 x 20
Crunches: 30; 30

E2 (Endurance Ride)

I decided I would get up early to perform todays E2 (endurance) ride. Wednesdays are a busy day and it is very difficult to fit the ride in before or after Wednesday night church service. Since it is only an E2 ride it probably doesn't matter if the legs are a little tired from the P1 (jumps) performed the night before. In fact it might actually be a little benefical. This way I will have a full 36 hours before the next hard training session. Although I don't like to get up early, the legs and body felt pretty good at 4:45 AM. I quickly grabbed something to eat, mixed up a energy drink and was on the bike by 5:05 AM. All in all a good ride. It was a little strange watching the sun come up while on the indoor trainer though.

Summary
Duration: 2:00
Average Speed: 18.3 mph
Average Power: 217 watts
Average Heart Rate: 154 bpm

Detailed Results

0:00:00 - 0:10:00: Warm up

0:10:00 - 2:00:00: E2 (18.6 mph, 224 watts ,157 bpm)

P1 (Jumps)

This workout is designed to develop explosive power in the legs. This is useful when passing, clearing short steep climbs, and finish sprints. They are structured as follows; sprint using full force while standing for 8 - 10 revalutions of crank then recover until the next minute starts. Perform 5 jumps and then take a 5 minutes recovery between sets. I like these workouts, although on the indoor trainer I have to be careful not to fall forward down the two steps into the sunken family room.

Summary
0:00:00 - 0:10:00: Warm-up
0:10:00 - 0:20:00: E2
0:20:00 - 0:25:00: Interval 1 (35.4/38.4/33.9/36.4/37.9)
0:25:00 - 0:30:00: Recovery
0:30:00 - 0:35:00: Interval 2 (36.2/36.4/36.9/36.5/37.2)
0:35:00 - 0:40:00: Recovery
0:40:00 - 0:45:00: Interval 3 (35.6/36.3/36.9/35.8/36.2)
0:45:00 - 0:50:00: Recovery
0:50:00 - 0:55:00: Interval 4 (36.1/35.6/31.6/33.5/35.5)
0:55:00 - 1:00:00: Recovery
1:00:00 - 1:05:00: Interval 5 (35.9/35.6/35.0/34.8/35.5)
1:05:00 - 1:30:00: E2 (17.8 mph, 204 wattts, 157 bpm)

Weight Training

I know I am doing things a little backwards in that I am starting back up on the weight training fairly late in the training season, but my upper body is starting to feel a little weak. The goal is to strengthen the entire upper body especially the joints, ligaments, tendons to prevent injury. I have always been an avid weight lifter ever since high school, but the increase in training time on the bike put too much strain on my body and I wasn't able to get the rest necessary to do both. I reasoned that the time was better spent developing muscular endurance in my legs rather than my upper body. If time permitted I would go back and add the weight training back in for the upper body only. Well the training is going well and I feel that I am getting the necessary rest, so it is time to get the upper body back in shape (not that it is that bad). I think 2 days a week will be sufficient and a good balance between biking and lifting. Listed below was the workouts performed.

Chest
Dumbel Press: 30 x 20; 40 x 20

Back
Seated Rows: 40 x 20; 60 x 20
Lat Pull Downs: 40 x 12; 60 x 20

Shoulders
Front Raises: 10 x 16; 15 x 16
45 deg Raises: 10 x 20; 15 x 12, 10 x 4 (used to finish the set)

Arm
One Arm Curls: 20 x 16; 25 x 16
Tricept Extensions: 40 x 16, 50 x 16

Stomach
Side Raises: 35 x 16
Crunches: 30

The workout felt great and it was nice to get back to lifting which is very familiar to me. In general I took it fairly easy because I don't want to be really sore for the next few days.

A2 (Anearobic VO2 Max Intervals)

Pushed a Little Harder Maybe to Hard

The legs have been feeling really good lately so I decided to push it a little harder than the last time I performed the anaerobic intervals. Keep in mind that these are beeing performed on a trainer so I can get consistant conditions. Last time I averaged around 22.5 mph and the last interval was still at 22.4 mph. This time I was able to push to 23 mph on the first two intervals, but they started to fade after interval 3.

Schedule
0 - 10 min warm up (13 -> 18 mph)
0:10 - 0:20 E2 warm up (18 mph, 210 Watts)
0:20 - 0:24 Recovery (12.5 mph, 100 Watts)
0:24 - 0:28 Interval #1 (23 mph, 360 Watts) (23.0, 360, 1?? Ave HR)
0:28 - 0:32 Recovery (12.5 mph, 100 Watts)
0:32 - 0:38 Interval #1 (23 mph, 360 Watts) (23.0, 360, 1?? Ave HR)
0:38 - 0:42 Recovery (12.5 mph, 100 Watts)
0:42 - 0:46 Interval #3 (23 mph, 360 Watts) (22.9, 356, 1?? Ave HR)
0:46 - 0:50 Recovery (12.5 mph, 100 Watts)
0:50 - 0:54 Interval #4 (23 mph, 360 Watts) (22.7, 349, 1?? Ave HR)
0:54 - 0:58 Recovery (12.5 mph, 100 Watts)
0:58 - 1:02 Interval #5 (23 mph, 360 Watts) (22.3, 335, 1?? Ave HR)
1:02 - 1:06 Recovery (12.5 mph, 100 Watts)
1:06 - 2:30 E2 (18.5 mph, 220 Watts) ( 211, 1?? Ave HR)

The legs felt good and I was able to push a strong E2 ride following the intervals. I will keep tracking the results and look for steady improvements.

E1 (Active Recovery)

After lasts nights beating, todays E1 ride made the legs feel a little better. The back of my right knee is a little sore and it know feels a little bit better. Just a fairly easy ride

Summary
Duration: 1:00:00
Speed Avearage: 15.8
HR Aveage: 132 bpm

M4 (Criss-Cross Threshold)

I really like these training rides. For some reason they force you to work harder than you think you are capable of. These training rides are known as lactate tolerance intervals. The duration is typically 20-40 minutes with interval duration of 3-5 minutes. You ride 3-5 minute slightly above your lactate threshold (LT) and then 3-5 minutes slightly below LT. During the time spent above your LT you are slowely filling your muscles with lactic acid you then switch to an intensity slightly below LT and force your muscles to work hard despite the fact they are filled with lactic acid. With the initial warm up of 20 minutes and 32 minutes of intervals that leaves a little over 1 hour of time to finish the workout at an E2 intensity.

Summary
Duration: 2:00:00
Intervals: 4
Interval Duration: 4 minutes
Rest Duration: 4 minutes

Detailed
0:00:00 - 0:20:00: Warm-up
0:20:00 - 0:24:00: Interval 1: 21 mph
0:24:00 - 0:28:00: LT Tolerance1: 20 mph
0:28:00 - 0:32:00: Interval 2: 21 mph
0:32:00 - 0:36:00: LT Tolerance 2: 20 mph
0:36:00 - 0:40:00: Interval 3: 21 mph
0:40:00 - 0:44:00: LT Tolerance 3: 20 mph
0:44:00 - 0:48:00: Interval 4: 21 mph0:
0:48:00 - 0:52:00: LT Tolerance 4: 20 mph
0:52:00 - 0:56:00: Recovery: 18 mph
0:56:00 - 2:00:00: E2: 18.5 mph

F2 (Hill Sprints)

Simulated on Trainer

I think this is the only location in the world where it can be 81 one day and only a week later 18. Therefore I had to simulate hill sprints on the trainer. The only other time I have performed this workout was outdoors, so I don't have a good reference for comparison. I completed 8 sprints each of approximately 10 seconds each. Following each sprint is a fairly easy recovery until I hit the 5 minute mark from the start of the previous one. The legs felt strong and the average speeds for the 10 second durations were between 35 and 38 mph. The complete results are listed below.

Summary
Duration: 1:20:00
# of Intervals: 8
Interval Duration: 10 sec
Recovery: 04:50

Specifics
Interval 1: 35.5 mph (1044 watts)
Interval 2: 36.1 mph (1091 watts)
Interval 3: 38.3 mph (1278 watts)
Interval 4: 35.7 mph (1059 watts)
Interval 5: 36.6 mph (1132 watts)
Interval 6: 35.7 mph (1059 watts)
Interval 7: 35.3 mph (1028 watts)
Interval 8: 35.5 mph (1044 watts)

Note: It is possible that there is a slight amount of slipping between the rear wheel and the trainer roller, which would result in a higher speed and thus a higher calculated power.

E2 (Endurance)

Strong Finish to a Restful Week

For today's E2 workout, I decided to kick it up a notch. Being that it was the end of a light recovery week I thought it would be a good time to push it a little bit and se how my legs/body would respond. I started with a fairly easy warm-up for the first 10 minutes ramping up to around 17 mph. For the next 10 minutes I ramped the speed up to around 19 mph and maintained that for the next 50 minutes. After about an hour I kicked up the speed again to 20 mph and maintained that for another 20 minutes before ending the ride at 19+. After the ride the legs felt fairly fresh and I felt that I could have kept up that pace for at least another hour.

Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 2:00
Average Speed: 19.2 mph
Average Power: 236 watts
Average Heart Rate: 161 bpm