Training Log, February 28, 2010

This is what I get for trying to be a New England tough guy.

It was 45 and raining in Tucson this morning. And what's awesome about Tucson is that you only get one day a month like this in the winter. When it rains like this, the streets flood, all the glass comes into the road, and every sane person just takes a recovery day and starts back up the next day.

But it was the last day of the last week of my last block here, and I start driving to training camp tomorrow. I had 30 hours the first week, and 34 last week. I had 30 in the bank already for this week, and if I just got one more normal, run of the mill 6 hour day like I've been doing day in and day out all month, I'd have had over 36 hours for the week, and the biggest week of training I'd ever done. I still felt great, and I couldn't bear the thought of not finishing things off.

So, I greased up my legs, put on the plastic jacket, and met Thom Coupe to see what we could get done. And it was a disaster.

First I crashed riding through campus at like 10 mph. I was turning on wet concrete, slowed down, even took my foot out just to be save, and STILL ate shit like I was riding on an ice rink. Then I met up with Thom, and 30 minutes in he punctured, and didn't have a spare since he and Toby had flatted the day before and got stranded. I gave him one of my two, but in the process of pumping it back up, he managed to rip the valve core out. So then we went to my second spare, and since we were about half way around the loop, figured we'd finish it rather than retracing our steps. Except we only made it 30 seconds before I flatted next.

GAME OVER!

http://img111.yfrog.com/i/o4cl.jpg/

We managed to get a ride home, with my hot rub totally kicking in once I warmed up a little, adding insult to injury. And now I'm home, warm, full out oatmeal, and out of motivation, and the sun just came out.

Have a nice life, Tucson.

Posted in |

Training Log, February 27, 2010

I've won the last 3 Shootouts, and I've said repeatedly that while the ride suits me, the main reason I've been winning is because I was willing to lose. The Shootout is fun, but it's just the Shootout. It's a group ride. You want to use it for training in the way that suits you, and you want to have fun. And for me, that's just worked out that past few weeks. I don't care if someone goes away, I don't _need_ to chase them down, I don't ever make myself vulnerable. And so I have enough to jump across to the move if I need to, and win the sprint.
 
Well, today I finally lost. And I lost not because I had some friends working against me (which I did!), but because I wanted to win, and I let myself get drawn off my normal game. Jon Chodroff and Kirk Carlsen like the Shootout as much as I do, and they were definitely playfully out to keep me from sweeping for the month I was here. Jon makes a couple more watts at threshold than I do, as most of you know, and he spent most of the day attacking the shit out of the group. I definitely took the bait, and while Toby, Thom Coupe, and Kirk all also took some big turns bringing Jon's various attacks back, I was taking it personally and racing with a little too much ego. I would bridge up (one time by myself, to Jon and Cole House from BMC) and then do things like attack after I got there, sort of upping the ante when I had a weak poker hand.
 
The thing was, I actually did have really good legs, and you can't play around over threshold like that unless it feels good to do it. So while Cole lit me up in the sprint, I was pretty happy to have left more of it out there during the 45 minutes then I normally do, and knew the numbers were going to be good.
 
 Shootout:
Duration:   44:56
Work:       787 kJ
TSS:       82.1 (intensity factor 1.047)
Norm Power: 330
VI:         1.13
Pw:HR:       14.82%
Pa:HR:       7.59%
Distance:   17.478 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1009 292 watts
Heart Rate:   102 207 165 bpm
Cadence:     44 139 96 rpm
Speed:       5.4 35.1 23.3 mph
 
So that's 20 more watts than what I did last week. It meant that I was way more active, but that I was _able_ to be way more active. But it also meant that I didn't have the big snap for the uphill sprint I've kept in reserve from being crafty up until that point. Still, I considered the way I felt and the increased power I had at my disposal a big success. I confess to being bummed about not winning. I can pretend not to care since it's just the Shootout. But dude - it's the Shootout!
 
From there we did the usual 30 minutes of descending and recovering to the base of Madera. Usually we ride tempo until the last 15-20 minutes or so, when the road gets steeper in the last 3 of the 13.5 mile climb. But Kirk had a little chip to get off his shoulder, and started really pulling hard about 15 minutes on, on the shallow section, and had the group of 25 or so that was left strung out and single file in the crosswind. Poor Kirk; he was on the roster for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad today, until he broke his collarbone and shoulder at Tour of Qatar. He was pretty motivated to make the day as hard as he could for himself, almost as a coping mechanism for his disappointment, it seemed to me. It's been good to have him here this past week training with us, but of course we all wish he was back in Europe, for his sake.
 
I was feeling the effects of the Shootout, so I was kind of hiding at the back a little. But when Kirk started blowing the group apart, I skipped from guy to guy until all of a sudden there there was only Chodroff, Cole House and Larry Warbasse from BMC, Kirk, myself, and a local triathlete who's really strong. There was a headwind as we got closer to the top, which helped slow Jon down and make it easier for me to follow, but I couldn't believe I was even still there. The group finally detonated in the last mile, and we all finished alone; Jon, Larry, Cole - and then me! It was pretty exciting actually, and when I rolled into the parking lot and Jon said "holy shit, Myerson!" I took it as the compliment he meant it to be.
 
Madera:
Duration:   48:46
Work:       775 kJ
TSS:       66.9 (intensity factor 0.907)
Norm Power: 286
VI:         1.08
Pw:HR:       -19.63%
Pa:HR:       45.9%
Distance:   11.593 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 684 265 watts
Heart Rate:   135 183 162 bpm
Cadence:     40 147 85 rpm
Speed:       4.9 31.6 14.2 mph
 
Final 5 minutes of Madera:
Duration:   4:40
Work:       94 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -10.71%
Pa:HR:       1.15%
Distance:   0.638 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       134 513 339 watts
Heart Rate:   172 183 177 bpm
Cadence:     53 102 66 rpm
Speed:       6.5 14.5 8.2 mph
Pace         4:08 9:12 7:20 min/mi
Crank Torque: 128 695 442 lb-in
 
From there we did the usual lunch break. Pringles, some Twittering, some texting, a little Facebook, Mountain Dew. You know, just living the dream. And then we rolled home.
 
Enjoy.
 
Entire workout (163 watts):
Duration:   5:10:26 (7:08:18)
Work:       3029 kJ
TSS:       289 (intensity factor 0.756)
Norm Power: 238
VI:         1.46
Pw:HR:       14.68%
Pa:HR:       -7.25%
Distance:   102.833 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1009 163 watts
Heart Rate:   74 207 136 bpm
Cadence:     30 177 87 rpm
Speed:       2.2 51.8 20.1 mph
Pace         1:10 26:49 2:59 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 990 155 lb-in
 
Peak 5s (890 watts):
Duration:   0:06
Work:       5 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       1.84%
Pa:HR:       2.49%
Distance:   248 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       762 1001 890 watts
Heart Rate:   162 170 165 bpm
Cadence:     104 110 107 rpm
Speed:       27.7 28.7 28.3 mph
Pace         2:05 2:10 2:07 min/mi
Crank Torque: 585 797 707 lb-in
 
Peak 10s (855 watts):
Duration:   0:10
Work:       8 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       12.86%
Pa:HR:       0.9%
Distance:   420 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       762 1001 855 watts
Heart Rate:   162 170 167 bpm
Cadence:     103 110 105 rpm
Speed:       27.7 29 28.5 mph
Pace         2:04 2:10 2:06 min/mi
Crank Torque: 585 797 686 lb-in
 
Peak 20s (747 watts):
Duration:   0:20
Work:       14 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       0.34%
Pa:HR:       -20.93%
Distance:   557 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       615 1009 747 watts
Heart Rate:   182 186 184 bpm
Cadence:     83 99 88 rpm
Speed:       15.4 22.6 19.1 mph
Pace         2:40 3:54 3:09 min/mi
Crank Torque: 553 990 717 lb-in
 
Peak 30s (689 watts):
Duration:   0:30
Work:       20 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -32.04%
Pa:HR:       -20.72%
Distance:   805 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       470 1009 689 watts
Heart Rate:   180 186 183 bpm
Cadence:     83 99 89 rpm
Speed:       15.4 22.6 18.3 mph
Pace         2:40 3:54 3:17 min/mi
Crank Torque: 427 990 657 lb-in
 
Peak 1min (536 watts):
Duration:   1:00
Work:       32 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -52.04%
Pa:HR:       13.07%
Distance:   0.331 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       152 1009 536 watts
Heart Rate:   172 187 180 bpm
Cadence:     83 117 94 rpm
Speed:       15.4 27.3 19.8 mph
Pace         2:12 3:54 3:02 min/mi
Crank Torque: 123 990 490 lb-in
 
Peak 2min (396 watts):
Duration:   2:00
Work:       47 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -29.6%
Pa:HR:       41.27%
Distance:   0.692 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1009 396 watts
Heart Rate:   164 187 176 bpm
Cadence:     49 123 92 rpm
Speed:       6.6 29.5 20.7 mph
Pace         2:02 9:01 2:54 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 990 364 lb-in
 
Peak 5min (352 watts):
Duration:   5:00
Work:       105 kJ
TSS:       10.9 (intensity factor 1.142)
Norm Power: 360
VI:         1.02
Pw:HR:       -8.27%
Pa:HR:       8.94%
Distance:   2.06 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 904 352 watts
Heart Rate:   135 172 149 bpm
Cadence:     60 139 98 rpm
Speed:       19.1 31.9 24.7 mph
Pace         1:53 3:09 2:26 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 887 307 lb-in
 
Peak 10min (338 watts):
Duration:   10:00
Work:       202 kJ
TSS:       22.1 (intensity factor 1.15)
Norm Power: 362
VI:         1.07
Pw:HR:       -22.34%
Pa:HR:       -20.04%
Distance:   4.28 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1001 338 watts
Heart Rate:   135 207 167 bpm
Cadence:     64 139 100 rpm
Speed:       19.8 31.9 25.6 mph
Pace         1:53 3:02 2:21 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 887 287 lb-in
 
Peak 20min (332 watts):
Duration:   20:00
Work:       398 kJ
TSS:       39.8 (intensity factor 1.093)
Norm Power: 344
VI:         1.04
Pw:HR:       9.91%
Pa:HR:       18.33%
Distance:   7.175 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 904 332 watts
Heart Rate:   135 184 168 bpm
Cadence:     56 139 94 rpm
Speed:       16.1 31.9 21.5 mph
Pace         1:53 3:44 2:48 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 967 299 lb-in
 
Peak 30min (325 watts):
Duration:   30:00
Work:       585 kJ
TSS:       59.3 (intensity factor 1.089)
Norm Power: 343
VI:         1.06
Pw:HR:       5.89%
Pa:HR:       21.23%
Distance:   11.197 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1001 325 watts
Heart Rate:   135 207 171 bpm
Cadence:     56 139 96 rpm
Speed:       16.1 31.9 22.3 mph
Pace         1:53 3:44 2:41 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 967 287 lb-in
 
Peak 60min (253 watts):
Duration:   1:00:00 (1:00:32)
Work:       911 kJ
TSS:       95.7 (intensity factor 0.982)
Norm Power: 309
VI:         1.22
Pw:HR:       11.09%
Pa:HR:       13.85%
Distance:   21.848 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1009 253 watts
Heart Rate:   97 207 156 bpm
Cadence:     38 170 94 rpm
Speed:       3.3 35.1 21.9 mph
Pace         1:43 18:13 2:45 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 990 225 lb-in
 

 

Posted in |

Training Log, February 26, 2010

I really like putting this training info up, but it's killing me. I figured it would be 15 minutes each night just dumping the info, but combing through the file, marking things, and writing the description ends up taking an hour. And when I'm out training from 10-6 each day and coming home cracked, it's putting a pretty big dent in my ability to get any other Cycle-Smart work done before I pass each night.
 
As expected, I was tired for the first hour or two of the ride. Not sore or cracked - dull is the best way to describe it. And my crotch was destroyed after Wednesday's 7.5 hour epic. Imagine masturbating 6 hours a day. That's what my perineum looks like right now.
 
Today the plan was to ride out over Gates Pass, down Kinney through the Saguaro National Monument, west on Ajo to Sierrita Mountain Road, and up the 30 or so minute shallow climb there. Back around to Three Points for a store stop, and the east on Ajo again where people could start to split up and do their own rides. Mark and Christina rode back in the way we came out over Gates, Dave stuck it out with Toby, Kirk Carlsen and myself up Sandario, and then we sent him home over Gates as well before he got himself into too much trouble. Toby, Kirk and I then started our 15 minute rotation (30 on the front, 15 on the back) around Big Square until the next store stop about 5 hours in. One we were back on, we crushed the next 30 minutes (or Toby and Kirk crushed it while I sat on) up the climbs on Kinney and back over Gates.
 
The details:
 
Entire workout (165 watts):
Duration:   6:15:52 (7:22:08)
Work:       3729 kJ
TSS:        259.3 (intensity factor 0.649)
Norm Power: 205
VI:         1.24
Pw:HR:       -8.44%
Pa:HR:       3.05%
Distance:   120.079 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:        0 1002 165  watts
Heart Rate:   61 187 131  bpm
Cadence:      30 212 86  rpm
Speed:        2.2 41.4 19.3  mph
Pace          1:27 26:49 3:06  min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1017 163  lb-in
 
Gates Pass, on the way out:
Duration:   16:52
Work:       228 kJ
Distance:   3.299 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       45 425 226 watts
Heart Rate:   118 157 142 bpm
Cadence:     51 141 73 rpm
Speed:       6.7 22.4 11.7 mph
 
Sierrita climb, starting at hour 2:
Duration:   28:24
Work:       362 kJ
Norm Power: 215
Distance:   7.494 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       2 354 213 watts
Heart Rate:   125 148 139 bpm
Cadence:     60 109 80 rpm
Speed:       12.9 19.1 15.8 mph
 
Of course, every time I do this ride, there are cows gone wild:
 
 
 
 
"Dont worry little guy! I won't eat you!"
 
Pull with Dave at 3 hours:
Duration:   12:54
Norm Power: 208
Distance:   4.338 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 457 207 watts
Heart Rate:   98 145 138 bpm
Cadence:     67 110 86 rpm
Speed:       16 22.7 20.1 mph
 
Pull with Toby and Kirk at 3:30:
Duration:   28:04
Norm Power: 214
Distance:   9.408 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 461 211 watts
Heart Rate:   123 150 143 bpm
Cadence:     58 123 88 rpm
Speed:       13.4 28.8 20.1 mph
 
Pull with Toby and Kirk at 4:15:
Duration:   30:00
Norm Power: 230
Distance:   11.244 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 473 224 watts
Heart Rate:   109 158 146 bpm
Cadence:     33 131 91 rpm
Speed:       2.2 28.6 22.6 mph
 
Store to Gates Pass, hour 5:
Duration:   36:56
Work:       518 kJ
Norm Power: 275
Distance:   12.895 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1002 234 watts
Heart Rate:   109 187 148 bpm
Cadence:     46 139 92 rpm
Speed:       8.9 41.4 20.9 mph
 
We really crushed that last block, with Toby and Kirk having a little half-wheel battle, and me happy to let them fight it out in front of me up the climb. The last part of Gates from the backside is really steep, and it's almost impossible not to sprint it out over the top at the end of a long day. Sure enough, Toby surged first, and then Kirk went over the top. I couldn't let the kids forget who's boss, though, and lit 'em both up in the last 15 seconds of the climb. Ok, Kirk just broke his shoulder and collarbone, but whatever... All of the peak durations for the ride happening in this last block, from 5:30-5:30, so I left those in here for you to comb through if you like.
 
Peak 5s (926 watts):
Duration:   0:06
Work:       5 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       3.69%
Pa:HR:       -3.67%
Distance:   131 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       868 1002 926 watts
Heart Rate:   180 182 181 bpm
Cadence:     91 100 95 rpm
Speed:       14.7 15.8 15.3 mph
Pace         3:48 4:05 3:55 min/mi
Crank Torque: 780 846 823 lb-in
 
Peak 10s (894 watts):
Duration:   0:10
Work:       8 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -0.67%
Pa:HR:       -12.38%
Distance:   220 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       792 1002 894 watts
Heart Rate:   180 183 181 bpm
Cadence:     91 100 95 rpm
Speed:       13.2 17.1 15.3 mph
Pace         3:30 4:32 3:56 min/mi
Crank Torque: 676 846 792 lb-in
 
Peak 20s (738 watts):
Duration:   0:20
Work:       14 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       29.32%
Pa:HR:       9.32%
Distance:   456 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       516 1002 738 watts
Heart Rate:   180 186 184 bpm
Cadence:     86 104 94 rpm
Speed:       14 17.3 15.5 mph
Pace         3:28 4:17 3:53 min/mi
Crank Torque: 451 846 669 lb-in
 
Peak 30s (669 watts):
Duration:   0:30
Work:       20 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       18.61%
Pa:HR:       -8.43%
Distance:   623 ft
Min Max Avg
Power:       400 1002 669 watts
Heart Rate:   178 187 183 bpm
Cadence:     85 104 92 rpm
Speed:       10.4 17.3 14.2 mph
Pace         3:28 5:47 4:13 min/mi
Crank Torque: 393 846 613 lb-in
 
Peak 1min (556 watts):
Duration:   1:00
Work:       33 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -44.49%
Pa:HR:       -41.56%
Distance:   0.199 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       337 1002 556 watts
Heart Rate:   172 187 179 bpm
Cadence:     70 104 85 rpm
Speed:       8.9 17.3 11.9 mph
Pace         3:28 6:42 5:02 min/mi
Crank Torque: 335 846 546 lb-in
 
Peak 2min (443 watts):
Duration:   2:00
Work:       53 kJ
TSS:       n/a
Norm Power: n/a
VI:         n/a
Pw:HR:       -60.68%
Pa:HR:       9.48%
Distance:   0.409 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       206 1002 443 watts
Heart Rate:   167 187 175 bpm
Cadence:     70 114 89 rpm
Speed:       8.9 17.3 12.2 mph
Pace         3:28 6:42 4:54 min/mi
Crank Torque: 173 846 425 lb-in
 
Peak 5min (361 watts):
Duration:   5:00
Work:       108 kJ
TSS:       12.4 (intensity factor 1.22)
Norm Power: 384
VI:         1.06
Pw:HR:       -30.76%
Pa:HR:       22.25%
Distance:   1.1 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       189 1002 361 watts
Heart Rate:   156 187 168 bpm
Cadence:     70 125 92 rpm
Speed:       8.9 18 13.2 mph
Pace         3:20 6:42 4:34 min/mi
Crank Torque: 161 846 338 lb-in
 
Peak 10min (281 watts):
Duration:   10:00
Work:       168 kJ
TSS:       18.4 (intensity factor 1.049)
Norm Power: 331
VI:         1.18
Pw:HR:       -53.04%
Pa:HR:       53.65%
Distance:   3.122 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1002 281 watts
Heart Rate:   125 187 156 bpm
Cadence:     64 139 94 rpm
Speed:       8.9 31.7 18.7 mph
Pace         1:54 6:42 3:13 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 846 258 lb-in
 
Peak 20min (247 watts):
Duration:   20:00
Work:       296 kJ
TSS:       30.6 (intensity factor 0.958)
Norm Power: 302
VI:         1.22
Pw:HR:       -27.62%
Pa:HR:       17.32%
Distance:   6.772 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1002 247 watts
Heart Rate:   109 187 153 bpm
Cadence:     59 139 92 rpm
Speed:       8.9 41.4 20.3 mph
Pace         1:27 6:42 2:58 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 846 228 lb-in
 
Peak 30min (241 watts):
Duration:   30:00
Work:       433 kJ
TSS:       41 (intensity factor 0.906)
Norm Power: 285
VI:         1.19
Pw:HR:       0.11%
Pa:HR:       -7.31%
Distance:   10.414 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1002 241 watts
Heart Rate:   109 187 151 bpm
Cadence:     59 139 93 rpm
Speed:       8.9 41.4 20.8 mph
Pace         1:27 6:42 2:53 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 846 220 lb-in

And of course, the office water cooler looks like this:

Enjoy.

Posted in |

Training Log, February 24, 2010

I'm so exhausted by the time I get to these entries, I forget most of the things I want to tell you about the ride. And it also means there's other work I'm not getting to. But today was a big day. A special day. Let's start with the totals for a change:
 
Entire workout (172 watts):
Duration:   7:27:18 (9:02:14)
Work:       4625 kJ
TSS:        357 (intensity factor 0.699)
Norm Power: 220
VI:         1.28
Pw:HR:       -8.36%
Pa:HR:       -4.37%
Distance:   134.857 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:        0 647 172  watts
Heart Rate:   73 183 140  bpm
Cadence:      31 173 83  rpm
Speed:        2.2 37.1 18.3  mph
Pace          1:37 26:49 3:17  min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1185 178  lb-in
 
I say it all the time, but it takes 8 hours to do 6.5 hours, and today it took 9 to do 7.5. Somehow our coffee stop at hour 3 was a full hour long. I had no idea. The other 30 minutes are a second store stop at hour 5, and random stopping for lights and to pee.
 
The script today was to ride out to Lemmon, do 3 x 20 at threshold, stop for food, and then continue on for another 3 hours or so. 3 hours turned into 4 and a half. I got excited, what can I say?
 
One thing I haven't been including is the time in the ride the efforts are happening. I think that's actually pretty crucial, and I'm surprised WKO doesn't include that as an item in the summary for each interval.
 
It takes about an hour to meet up and then ride out to Lemmon, and so that's when the first threshold block started. Last week I did 2 x 20, with the first one at 310, but dropping to 297 for the second one. The first two went better this week, partially because instead of continuing to climb, I flipped it after the interval, recovered on the descent, and did them all below 4000 feet.
 
 Interval 1:
Duration:   20:16
Work:       371 kJ
TSS:       32 (intensity factor 0.973)
Norm Power: 307
VI:         1
Pw:HR:       3.36%
Pa:HR:       2.52%
Distance:   4.545 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 420 305 watts
Heart Rate:   137 181 169 bpm
Cadence:     60 121 84 rpm
Speed:       7.5 18.1 13.4 mph
Pace         3:18 8:03 4:28 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 520 307 lb-in
 
Interval 2:
Duration:   20:12
Work:       375 kJ
TSS:       32.6 (intensity factor 0.984)
Norm Power: 310
VI:         1
Pw:HR:       4.8%
Pa:HR:       2.67%
Distance:   4.528 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       169 408 310 watts
Heart Rate:   125 180 169 bpm
Cadence:     60 104 78 rpm
Speed:       10.4 18.5 13.4 mph
Pace         3:15 5:45 4:28 min/mi
Crank Torque: 176 478 336 lb-in
 
But here's the good part. I wasn't sure how the 3rd block would go, and I had to remind myself that my only goal was to complete the workout at a reasonable power, not to smash anything. Still, because I had already improved on last week's performance, it took some pressure off, and felt like I was going to be able to leave it all out there. And so I did:
 
Interval 3:
Duration:   20:04
Work:       388 kJ
TSS:       35.2 (intensity factor 1.025)
Norm Power: 323
VI:         1
Pw:HR:       5.99%
Pa:HR:       5.64%
Distance:   4.69 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       194 448 323 watts
Heart Rate:   125 182 172 bpm
Cadence:     55 103 80 rpm
Speed:       9.2 18.1 14.0 mph
Pace         3:19 6:31 4:17 min/mi
Crank Torque: 211 511 343 lb-in
 
Something just finally clicked on the last block. I felt comfortable on my bike, I wasn't afraid to go hard, my breathing opened up. It felt good.
 
We all met up at Le Buzz at the bottom of the mountain for coffee and a treat. Dave Chiu, Mark Vautour, and Christina Tamilio are all here for the rest of the week, and they, Toby, Dave Glick, and I sat for a little longer than I realized. But hey, any good job gives you an hour for lunch.
 
It took me an hour of easy riding once I climbed back on before I started to feel good again, and I almost accidentally found myself easing into a block of tempo at around hour 4, heading out on Old Spanish Trail:
 
Tempo:
Duration:   58:26
Work:       701 kJ
TSS:       42.4 (intensity factor 0.66)
Norm Power: 208
VI:         1.04
Pw:HR:       3.1%
Pa:HR:       -10.51%
Distance:   17.892 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 366 200 watts
Heart Rate:   113 159 149 bpm
Cadence:     44 156 82 rpm
Speed:       2.2 35.9 18.4 mph
Pace         1:40 26:49 3:16 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 522 211 lb-in
 
Nothing special, really, and not even really tempo. It was more like just finally feeling good enough to push on the pedals again. Once I got to Sahuarita there's a 30 minute descent down to the bottom of the valley, where I stopped to refill my bottles again at around hour 5. Once I climbed back on I immediately felt great, and started pushing it up Helmet Peak Road. I thought I'd get 30 minutes out of that, but once I hit the top and turned right into the headwind down Mission and towards town, I just kept it rolling until the first stop light. I just felt better and better as I went, and was really surprised. This block went from 5:45 to 6:45, so naturally I was pumped about that:
 
Tempo:
Duration:   54:56
Work:       751 kJ
TSS:       48.7 (intensity factor 0.729)
Norm Power: 230
VI:         1.01
Pw:HR:       1.75%
Pa:HR:       -55.72%
Distance:   19.16 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 385 228 watts
Heart Rate:   132 166 154 bpm
Cadence:     46 129 86 rpm
Speed:       9.7 35.1 20.9 mph
Pace         1:43 6:11 2:52 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 598 228 lb-in
 
From there I was just riding home, but I still kept catching myself at 250 watts when I was trying to ride easy. It felt euphoric, like I was just switched on finally. It was a good feeling.
 
Enjoy.

 

Posted in |

Training Log, February 23, 2010

It was a sprint day. So naturally I cried. Seems like it's a given now.
 
Watched 2 dogs get hit by cars. Then I did my sprints. That pretty much sums up the day.
 
 Interval 1:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       119 1119 728 watts
Heart Rate:   105 131 121 bpm
Cadence:     74 159 122 rpm
Speed:       11.6 28.3 21.8 mph
Pace         2:07 5:11 2:45 min/mi
Crank Torque: 119 1245 556 lb-in
 
Interval 2:
Duration:   0:10
Min Max Avg
Power:       129 1160 839 watts
Heart Rate:   120 127 123 bpm
Cadence:     78 141 109 rpm
Speed:       14.5 29.3 22.8 mph
Pace         2:03 4:09 2:38 min/mi
Crank Torque: 140 1256 669 lb-in
 
Interval 3:
Duration:   0:14
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1180 644 watts
Heart Rate:   122 141 129 bpm
Cadence:     65 139 106 rpm
Speed:       12.9 29 21.9 mph
Pace         2:04 4:40 2:44 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1278 532 lb-in
 
Interval 4:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       4 1194 709 watts
Heart Rate:   130 138 133 bpm
Cadence:     63 134 98 rpm
Speed:       12.7 27.7 21.8 mph
Pace         2:10 4:44 2:45 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1256 618 lb-in
 
Interval 5:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1189 754 watts
Heart Rate:   130 133 132 bpm
Cadence:     57 131 96 rpm
Speed:       11.2 27.5 21.8 mph
Pace         2:11 5:20 2:45 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1446 681 lb-in
 
Interval 6:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1154 752 watts
Heart Rate:   142 159 145 bpm
Cadence:     61 129 92 rpm
Speed:       12.3 27.2 21.0 mph
Pace         2:13 4:53 2:52 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1537 712 lb-in
 
Interval 7:
Duration:   0:10
Min Max Avg
Power:       148 1170 762 watts
Heart Rate:   129 135 132 bpm
Cadence:     65 131 102 rpm
Speed:       11.6 24.9 19.6 mph
Pace         2:25 5:10 3:04 min/mi
Crank Torque: 192 1318 648 lb-in
 
Interval 8:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1182 713 watts
Heart Rate:   145 153 149 bpm
Cadence:     75 147 116 rpm
Speed:       12.4 26.8 21.4 mph
Pace         2:14 4:51 2:48 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1331 560 lb-in
 
Interval 9:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1180 734 watts
Heart Rate:   134 144 138 bpm
Cadence:     63 139 103 rpm
Speed:       12.6 29 22.9 mph
Pace         2:04 4:47 2:37 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1262 620 lb-in
 
Interval 10:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1277 899 watts
Heart Rate:   152 165 157 bpm
Cadence:     70 134 108 rpm
Speed:       14.5 28.1 23.5 mph
Pace         2:08 4:09 2:33 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1148 733 lb-in
 
Interval 11:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1251 730 watts
Heart Rate:   133 138 135 bpm
Cadence:     59 147 114 rpm
Speed:       14.1 29.6 24.6 mph
Pace         2:01 4:15 2:26 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1423 646 lb-in
 
Interval 12:
Duration:   0:12
Min Max Avg
Power:       4 1202 721 watts
Heart Rate:   n/a n/a n/a bpm
Cadence:     75 125 98 rpm
Speed:       15.8 30 24.1 mph
Pace         2:00 3:48 2:30 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1354 631 lb-in
 
Interval 13:
Duration:   0:14
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1277 661 watts
Heart Rate:   153 184 164 bpm
Cadence:     67 125 102 rpm
Speed:       16.5 30 25.4 mph
Pace         2:00 3:38 2:22 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1422 577 lb-in
 
Interval 14:
Duration:   0:14
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1276 694 watts
Heart Rate:   126 131 128 bpm
Cadence:     55 123 92 rpm
Speed:       14.4 32.4 24.4 mph
Pace         1:51 4:11 2:27 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1123 614 lb-in
 
Interval 15:
Duration:   0:16
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1394 762 watts
Heart Rate:   135 154 142 bpm
Cadence:     60 117 91 rpm
Speed:       15.3 30.5 24.8 mph
Pace         1:58 3:56 2:25 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1664 705 lb-in
 
I'm tempted to change the sampling rate to 1 second for my sprint days. The computer showed over 1200 watts for all but one sprint, but with 2 second sampling, not every peak is recorded. I stood for the last 3, and they were all over 1300 on the display.
 
I didn't do any _real_ structured tempo. I noted when I settled in and starting trying to stay on top of things. I was alone all day, lots on my mind. But I did 2 blocks, essentially, at the very bottom of the zone.
 
Tempo:
Duration:   1:29:10
Work:       1146 kJ
TSS:       72.4 (intensity factor 0.698)
Norm Power: 220
VI:         1.03
Pw:HR:       4.64%
Pa:HR:       28.9%
Distance:   20.951 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 474 214 watts
Heart Rate:   105 166 143 bpm
Cadence:     33 115 76 rpm
Speed:       4.2 24.1 14.1 mph
Pace         2:29 14:25 4:15 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 513 245 lb-in
 
Tempo:
Duration:   30:38
Work:       401 kJ
TSS:       25.3 (intensity factor 0.704)
Norm Power: 222
VI:         1.01
Pw:HR:       -8.36%
Pa:HR:       28.19%
Distance:   11.937 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 402 219 watts
Heart Rate:   141 158 150 bpm
Cadence:     54 144 85 rpm
Speed:       8 32.8 23.3 mph
Pace         1:50 7:33 2:34 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 482 222 lb-in
 
And the totals. A little low on some numbers since I was alone, and riding pretty slow between sprints, and in and out of town. 
 
Hope no one's pets got killed in your office today. Enjoy.
 
Entire workout (154 watts):
Duration:   6:36:46
Work:       3675 kJ
TSS:       247.4 (intensity factor 0.612)
Norm Power: 193
VI:         1.25
Pw:HR:       -1.47%
Pa:HR:       3.09%
Distance:   104.512 mi
Min Max Avg
Power:       0 1394 154 watts
Heart Rate:   60 196 131 bpm
Cadence:     30 191 80 rpm
Speed:       2.2 32.8 16.2 mph
Pace         1:50 26:49 3:42 min/mi
Crank Torque: 0 1664 168 lb-in

 

Posted in |
Syndicate content

©Cycle-Smart 1999-2009