Training Log, February 9, 2010

Totally about to pass out, and don't exactly have the energy to fill in the blanks. But at least I can copy and paste some hard numbers in here for people to get worked up over. Or not.

Basically January and February are my only months of the year where I'm not racing, typically. I come to Tucson and spend January just increasing the volume of endurance work I can do, increasing the capacity so I can maximize the 6-8 hours of training time I have available each day. 3-4 hour rides the first week, 4-5 the second week, 5-6 the final week. Usually I'll crack 30 hours in that last week of January.

In Februrary, because I'm maxing out the duration, I aim for the same hours each week, but increase workload by increasing the amount of interval work that happens on the rides. So 5 days a week it's 6-7 hour rides, with 2 hours easy on Monday and Friday. 30-35 hour weeks, for 3 weeks.

This year it's a little different. I did my January build up in the Southeast, racing 'cross races on the weekends instead of doing long rides. I never broke 20 hours in a week, and I finished the month about 10 TSS/day points below where I finished last year. I had a CTL of 73 this year, and 83 last year. I also did about 10 fewer training hours in that 3rd week, which is where most of the difference came. The intensity of the 'cross races did not make up for the volume.

Additionally, I've reintroduced sprint training into my play for the first time in years. I spent a lot of time working on weaknesses and counting on my natural ability to get me through the sprints. Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, perhaps it's because I'm back in a winning position more regularly again, but I've struggled the past 2 seasons to really finish off the sprints. I'm always in position, and I'm strong enough to hold my spot or even move up, but I rarely come around the rider in front of me after the last corner. This is why you seem me in the top 5 a lot, but rarely winning. Generally I'm peaking at 1100-1200 watts in the field sprints after the final corner. I need a couple hundred more than that if I'm going to come around, and to that end I've started doing at least one sprint workout a week.

So today was the first day of my February block, and I started with sprints in the second hour, and an hour long block of tempo from around 3:45 to 4:45. All in all, a good day. I felt capable, and tried to get too excited, since I've got 2 more days to go befor the next rest day.

Enjoy.

  Interval 1:

 

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