Still in the prep phase of training and I have taken that to mean that I don't have to care very much if and when I ride. In general I hate the cold and can't seem to get up early for a cold training ride outdoors. Fortunately, I don't mind the trainer, but I have very little time to get the required endurance rides in.
This week Monday night I completed the scheduled 1.5 hour endurance ride, but missed Wednesdays ride and only rode 1 hour on Thursday. Hopefully this weekend I will get out for a couple of decent rides at Murphy. I usually don't have a problem with the cold once I am out in the woods.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Second Week of Weight Training
The start of the second week of weight training has begun. The body feels very good from last weeks light effort with the weights. It is now time to start increasing the amount of weight on each set while keeping the reps high.
Lifts today:
Upper Body
Side raises
Bent over raises
Lower Body
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Leg Press
Lifts today:
Upper Body
Side raises
Bent over raises
Lower Body
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions
Leg Press
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Weight training begins!
It is time to get back into the weight room for some all around strength training. This winter the focus will be on building lower body strength and transition that to power on the bike for next year. I will also focus on strengthening of my joints in my upper body.
Over the years I have taken a fair amount of nasty falls and surprisingly have come away with only a couple of cracked ribs. However, earlier this year I pulled a muscle in my left arm and it is still not yet healed. I can feel that my joints are not as strong as they were just a few years back and I attribute this to the lack of weight training. I will start out with light weigh and high repetitions with a focus on good form to ensure that I don't stress the joints too quickly. Because I have done a lot of weight training in the past my muscle strength progresses at a faster rate than the joints can take so I need to be careful.
Another thing that I am going to try this winter is keep the intensity up as much as possible, probably once a week with an intense ride. I still need to get in the longer endurance rides to build base, and I plan to keep the hours down during the transition phase to allow the body (and mind) some time to rebuild.
Over the years I have taken a fair amount of nasty falls and surprisingly have come away with only a couple of cracked ribs. However, earlier this year I pulled a muscle in my left arm and it is still not yet healed. I can feel that my joints are not as strong as they were just a few years back and I attribute this to the lack of weight training. I will start out with light weigh and high repetitions with a focus on good form to ensure that I don't stress the joints too quickly. Because I have done a lot of weight training in the past my muscle strength progresses at a faster rate than the joints can take so I need to be careful.
Another thing that I am going to try this winter is keep the intensity up as much as possible, probably once a week with an intense ride. I still need to get in the longer endurance rides to build base, and I plan to keep the hours down during the transition phase to allow the body (and mind) some time to rebuild.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Move over time to train
We are finally starting to get settled in our new house in Savage and many of the immediate tasks to get the house "livable" are mostly complete. For that past few weeks training on the bike has been non-existent and the last month and a half have been less than stellar.
Now that things have slowed down slightly I am getting my mind back into training. Part of the urge is to ensure that a repeat of last weeks DNF at Afton never happens again. Last year I made the choice to race expert and although it might take a little time to start competing with the other riders I will not except not finishing a race
Since I had to drive into work today to pick up Jordan at her friends house, I gave me the opportunity to bring the bike and go out for a ride over lunch. Unfortunately I forgot that I took my biking shorts out of my bag and had to ride in my work pants. I didn't realize how windy it had become and planed my ride to allow for a cross wind. I have come to the conclusion over the years that a cross wind is almost as bad a going directly into the wind and it seems to slow you down either way
The ride went fairly well and I tried to push hard for 20 minutes at a time with a slight rest in between. I was able to push fairly hard but on the return trip I was pushing into the headwind and I felt very slow. I am hoping the lack of sleep and training are the reason for this
I might try to get out to Murphy Saturday morning for some higher intensity efforts on the trails.
Now that things have slowed down slightly I am getting my mind back into training. Part of the urge is to ensure that a repeat of last weeks DNF at Afton never happens again. Last year I made the choice to race expert and although it might take a little time to start competing with the other riders I will not except not finishing a race
Since I had to drive into work today to pick up Jordan at her friends house, I gave me the opportunity to bring the bike and go out for a ride over lunch. Unfortunately I forgot that I took my biking shorts out of my bag and had to ride in my work pants. I didn't realize how windy it had become and planed my ride to allow for a cross wind. I have come to the conclusion over the years that a cross wind is almost as bad a going directly into the wind and it seems to slow you down either way
The ride went fairly well and I tried to push hard for 20 minutes at a time with a slight rest in between. I was able to push fairly hard but on the return trip I was pushing into the headwind and I felt very slow. I am hoping the lack of sleep and training are the reason for this
I might try to get out to Murphy Saturday morning for some higher intensity efforts on the trails.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Spin Ups and Single Leg Drills
A late training ride tonight. It was a busy evening with Taylor having girls scouts and Me spending time with Devon and Wyatt getting their bikes ready to ride. I wasn't sure I wanted to get on the ride tonight because my legs were still tired from Monday nights intervals and endurance ride. Despite the fact that I missed the ride on Sunday, I could squeeze in all the scheduled rides this week. With tonight's ride complete that I still might make it.
The way I have been doing the spin ups and single leg drills this year they are more of a recovery ride than a workout. By lowering the resistance and concentrating on form I get the intended benefit without risking over training during the week. I got on the bike at 9:15 PM and started with a 10 minute warm up. It felt good to spin some of the crud out of the legs before starting the single leg drills. I alternated 35 second with one leg then 25 seconds with both than went to the other leg. The SLDs took 20 minuets and then I changed to spin ups were I ramped up to a maximum cadence over 30 second and then maintained that cadence for 45 seconds. I started a new spin up every 5 minutes and finished at the 1 hour mark. The legs feel better today than yesterday so it was beneficial to do the workout. Endurance work tonight that should indicate how the legs are doing.
The way I have been doing the spin ups and single leg drills this year they are more of a recovery ride than a workout. By lowering the resistance and concentrating on form I get the intended benefit without risking over training during the week. I got on the bike at 9:15 PM and started with a 10 minute warm up. It felt good to spin some of the crud out of the legs before starting the single leg drills. I alternated 35 second with one leg then 25 seconds with both than went to the other leg. The SLDs took 20 minuets and then I changed to spin ups were I ramped up to a maximum cadence over 30 second and then maintained that cadence for 45 seconds. I started a new spin up every 5 minutes and finished at the 1 hour mark. The legs feel better today than yesterday so it was beneficial to do the workout. Endurance work tonight that should indicate how the legs are doing.
Monday, March 10, 2008
F2 Hilly Indurance
I missed Sundays F2 ride and have been missing a fair amount of the endurance rides this season. Therefore, I will try to squeeze in a longer ride tonight. I added 15 seconds to each interval making them 1:45 in length but will start each successive interval every 5 minutes meaning the rest period is reduce by 15 seconds. The goal is also to maintain 350 watts for each of the intervals
The intervals went fairly well, but the intensity was a little to high for the added interval length. I struggled through the 8th interval so 8 it is. The warm up and the intervals took about an hour and the remaining 1 hour I maintained a good endurance pace at approx 200 watts. The legs felt fairly good, but I could tell they were worked. Walking up the stairs a little while later I could feel the muscles tightening up. Not sure what the remainder of the training week will entail, but I would like to try to get all the workouts in.
The intervals went fairly well, but the intensity was a little to high for the added interval length. I struggled through the 8th interval so 8 it is. The warm up and the intervals took about an hour and the remaining 1 hour I maintained a good endurance pace at approx 200 watts. The legs felt fairly good, but I could tell they were worked. Walking up the stairs a little while later I could feel the muscles tightening up. Not sure what the remainder of the training week will entail, but I would like to try to get all the workouts in.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Long Endurance Rid
The weather did not cooperate today with the snow overnight Saturday and temps hovering in the low 20s with little sun most of the day. Andrea and I had hoped to get out for a long 3 hour ride on the hills towards Afton.
I will now need to find a way to work in a longer ride early this week so I keep the base going. So far I have been a litle behind on the long rides; it is hard to find the time to fit them in on Sunday (or any day for that matter). Part of the problem is the fact that Andrea and I have to share the trainer so we can't ride at the same time.
Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and we can start biking together again.
Happy Training.
I will now need to find a way to work in a longer ride early this week so I keep the base going. So far I have been a litle behind on the long rides; it is hard to find the time to fit them in on Sunday (or any day for that matter). Part of the problem is the fact that Andrea and I have to share the trainer so we can't ride at the same time.
Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and we can start biking together again.
Happy Training.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
E2 (Endurance Ride)
For some reason I pulled the short straw and got to get up early to train. I wasn't that bad, however, because today's ride is a relatively short 1 hour endurance ride. To stay consistent with the last couple of weeks I chose to push the pace towards the upper end of the E2 range.
The legs felt dead and stiff this morning. I don't know if it was because it was morning or something else. Either way after 3 or 4 minutes they started to feel better as I gradually ramped up the speed. At the 10 minute mark I was at cruising speed. At the 30 min mark I dropped into my 42/12 gear and held a pace in the low 19s for the next 10 minutes before changing back into 42/13.
Legs felt good and strong and it was only during the 10 min section that I could feel any burning in the quads.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 1:00:00
Gearing 42/13
Total Distance: ##.# miles
Average Speed: 18.1 mph
Average Power: ### watts
Average Heart Rate: 1##
The legs felt dead and stiff this morning. I don't know if it was because it was morning or something else. Either way after 3 or 4 minutes they started to feel better as I gradually ramped up the speed. At the 10 minute mark I was at cruising speed. At the 30 min mark I dropped into my 42/12 gear and held a pace in the low 19s for the next 10 minutes before changing back into 42/13.
Legs felt good and strong and it was only during the 10 min section that I could feel any burning in the quads.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 1:00:00
Gearing 42/13
Total Distance: ##.# miles
Average Speed: 18.1 mph
Average Power: ### watts
Average Heart Rate: 1##
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
S1, S2 (Spin Ups and Single Leg Drills)
I chose to give my legs an extra half day to recover from the 5 hour block of training over the weekend and I think it was a good choice. Although I never like getting up any earlier than necessary for a ride, the extra rest was needed.
I changed the order of the ride so that the single leg drills were before the spin-ups. I think doing the SLDs when the legs are fresh makes more sense. Also, finishing with the spin ups will train the legs to spin when they are fatigued in addition to better training the muscles to fire at the correct time. During the SLDs the legs felt good and on Andreas advice I added an additional 1 minute spin between each right/left set. I did the single leg drills for 20 minutes and then started the spin ups. I did 6 spin ups and finished the ride with a 10 minute E2 before spinning for a couple of minutes.
I changed the order of the ride so that the single leg drills were before the spin-ups. I think doing the SLDs when the legs are fresh makes more sense. Also, finishing with the spin ups will train the legs to spin when they are fatigued in addition to better training the muscles to fire at the correct time. During the SLDs the legs felt good and on Andreas advice I added an additional 1 minute spin between each right/left set. I did the single leg drills for 20 minutes and then started the spin ups. I did 6 spin ups and finished the ride with a 10 minute E2 before spinning for a couple of minutes.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
E2 (Endurance Ride)
I was not feeling 100% today, but I managed to complete the designated 3 hour endurance ride. I am not sure if I have a cold comming on or what, but my head was a little plugged up and I felt a little worn down despite getting plenty of sleep.
On the bike, the legs felt a little sluggish at first, therefor, I kept the speed a little lower during the warm up to "feel" things out. After the 10 min warm-up I settled into a decent pace in the low 17s. I knew the ride was going to seem like a long time and at the 1 hour mark I was ready to be done. It was not that the legs felt bad, but rather I was just bored. I put in Star Wars and watched it with Wyatt for the first two hours of the ride, but it didn't help too much. I thought about quitting at the two hour mark and forced myself to 2.5 hours. At that time Andrea provided additional encouragement buy stating that we might not be able to get in our long rides next weekend because of Wyatts birthday. I did manage to complete the entire 3 hour ride, but I will not say that it wasn't difficult.
After the ride I grabbed some lunch and soaked the legs in the tub for a while.
On the bike, the legs felt a little sluggish at first, therefor, I kept the speed a little lower during the warm up to "feel" things out. After the 10 min warm-up I settled into a decent pace in the low 17s. I knew the ride was going to seem like a long time and at the 1 hour mark I was ready to be done. It was not that the legs felt bad, but rather I was just bored. I put in Star Wars and watched it with Wyatt for the first two hours of the ride, but it didn't help too much. I thought about quitting at the two hour mark and forced myself to 2.5 hours. At that time Andrea provided additional encouragement buy stating that we might not be able to get in our long rides next weekend because of Wyatts birthday. I did manage to complete the entire 3 hour ride, but I will not say that it wasn't difficult.
After the ride I grabbed some lunch and soaked the legs in the tub for a while.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 3:0:20
Gearing 42/14
Total Distance: 53.5 miles
Average Speed: 17.8 mph
Average Power: 204 watts
Average Heart Rate: 149
Saturday, January 12, 2008
E2 (Endurance Ride)
Felt good, the legs felt fully recovered and the ride went fairly quick.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 2:0:00
Gearing 42/14
Total Distance: 35.0 miles
Average Speed: 17.5 mph
Average Power: 197 watts
Average Heart Rate: 154
Thursday, January 10, 2008
S1, S2 (Spin Ups and Single Leg Drills)
The ride tonight felt pretty good and the legs felt great. Yesterday I could still feel burning in the legs when I walked up stairs, but they felt fresh and strong on the bike. Not that that is saying to much when the objective of the training ride is to spin at a low resistance. Either way the legs are feeling as good as they ever have.
I kept the speed relatively slow for the first 10 minutes then got into the spin-ups. I completed 8 spin-ups each one beginning 5 minutes from the start of the previous one. I was able to hold 19.5 - 20 mph for most of the sessions and only notices a slight amount of bouncing. My objective is to keep the lower body as still as possible while maintaining as high of speed as I can for a duration of 45 seconds (after a 30 second ramp up to max speed). After the spin-ups I rounded the workout out with single leg drills for 15 minutes before doing a good cool down at E2 for 10 minutes and spinning for another 5.
I have a day and a half rest before the weekend two day block with 5 hours of riding.
I kept the speed relatively slow for the first 10 minutes then got into the spin-ups. I completed 8 spin-ups each one beginning 5 minutes from the start of the previous one. I was able to hold 19.5 - 20 mph for most of the sessions and only notices a slight amount of bouncing. My objective is to keep the lower body as still as possible while maintaining as high of speed as I can for a duration of 45 seconds (after a 30 second ramp up to max speed). After the spin-ups I rounded the workout out with single leg drills for 15 minutes before doing a good cool down at E2 for 10 minutes and spinning for another 5.
I have a day and a half rest before the weekend two day block with 5 hours of riding.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
E1 (Recovery Ride)
After a fairly hard but short ride last night, the early morning spin/recovery ride made the legs feel much better. The legs were stiff starting out and I gradually worked up the speed to around 15 mph after 1o minutes or so. The ride was scheduled for 30 minutes with the only intent to spin the "crap" out from the night before. By the end of the ride the legs were feeling much better. Going up the stairs, however, there was still a slight burn. I will see how they feel the remainder of today and going into tomorrow. I am still up in the air as to what is more beneficial; getting up and spinning for 30 minutes or getting the extra half hour of sleep. I think if I get a good nights sleep I will get up and ride and if I'm tires I will sleep in.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
E2 (Endurance Ride)
Tonights ride is on the short side for duration, so I picked up the pace a little bit so the legs don't forget what it is like to be pushed a little. I figured that a pace a little over 19 mph would be sufficient to put the heart rate up near the top of the E2 range (161 bpm). Since the ride is short I shortened the warm-up to under 10 minutes. The legs felt fairly sore throught the day and the beginning of the ride was the same. After the 20 minute mark the legs woke up and holding 19.5 mph was fairly easy and the legs were just under the point where they would "load" up. Towards the end of the ride the speed slowed slightly, but mostly because I was getting a little lazy an not because the legs were tired. I finished up strong and spun for about 2 minutes to cool down.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 1:02:06
Gearing 42/12
Total Distance: 19.5miles
Average Speed: 18.8 mph
Average Power: 229watts
Average Heart Rate: 156 bpm
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 1:02:06
Gearing 42/12
Total Distance: 19.5miles
Average Speed: 18.8 mph
Average Power: 229watts
Average Heart Rate: 156 bpm
Sunday, January 6, 2008
E2 (Endurance Ride)
The first long ride of the season. To combat the boredom, I set up the laptop with a few DVDs and my MP3 player. Unfortunately my PC was giving me fits and didn't want to read the DVD I was trying to play. Therefore, I turned on the MP3s and watched a slide show of pictures taken during last race season. I was expecting the legs to be a little heavy from the 2 hour ride on Saturday, but they felt really good. I was trying to maintain just under 18 mph for the ride. The pace was comfortable and at no time did I feel out of breath or that the legs were stating to burn. At the 1 hour mark I started doing 2 minute standing intervals in my biggest/smallest (42/11) ring combination. I did this every 20 minutes to stretch the legs and get the blood flowing to all the muscles. The legs were fairly tired by the end of the workout, but not wasted. This week starts week 2 of Base 1 with slightly longer rides throughout.
Happy Training!
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 3:01:17
Gearing 42/14
Total Distance: 53.3miles
Average Speed: 17.7 mph
Average Power: 202watts
Average Heart Rate: 148 bpm
Saturday, January 5, 2008
E2 (Endurance Ride)
Today's ride was in the basement of the in laws as we have a fantasy football party and my nieces birthday part this weekend.
The legs felt good and I purposely kept the speed on the low side because I have a 3 hour ride scheduled for Sunday. The legs felt a little sluggish for the first 10 minutes or so after the warm up but felt fine after that. The last half hour I could feel the fatigue setting in slightly and as usually the last 10 minutes just dragged by.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 2:00:32
Total Distance: 35.6miles
Average Speed: 17.7 mph
Average Power: 202 watts
Average Heart Rate: 152 bpm
The legs felt good and I purposely kept the speed on the low side because I have a 3 hour ride scheduled for Sunday. The legs felt a little sluggish for the first 10 minutes or so after the warm up but felt fine after that. The last half hour I could feel the fatigue setting in slightly and as usually the last 10 minutes just dragged by.
Ride Summary
Ride Duration: 2:00:32
Total Distance: 35.6miles
Average Speed: 17.7 mph
Average Power: 202 watts
Average Heart Rate: 152 bpm
Thursday, January 3, 2008
S1, S2 (Spin Ups and Single Leg Drills)
Second set this week and for this training year for doing spin ups and single leg drills. Tonight I used a little lower gearing (32/20) than earlier in the week. The spin ups went well with the speeds between 18 and 19 mph. I think my cadence was 140+
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
S1,S2 (Spin Ups and Single Leg Drills)
For this year I have changed the spin ups from last year. The focus is on technique and speed and I should feel refreshed after these workouts. Last year I used too high of resistance and the workouts more resembled anaerobic intervals as opposed to simply working on speed. I picked an easy gear (32/17) and was able to spin up to 21+ mph for each of the 6 sessions. I tried to focus on keeping the lower body still and I would slow down if I noticed my butt bouncing on the saddle. My goal is to steadily increase my speed through the Base phase while maintaining perfect form.
The single leg drills are also slightly different from last year. Again the focus is more on form and less on building strength and endurance. The resistance is lower, (same gearing as the spin ups) and I am trying to carry the duration on each leg a little longer. As soon as the peddling gets a little choppy and I can't correct it I will stop.
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