Triathlete Article on Running, applies to Cyclists also

http://www.triathlete.com/2018/01/training/5-ways-youre-sabotaging-running_310275?utm_source=exact_target&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7223966&utm_content=013118_Triathlete

Caffeine Effects from CTS

https://trainright.com/caffeine-ultrarunning/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&inf_contact_key=90e23febc92cf4dc4fde77b14d6091035d1f7e72820bd4d7f69ec1ac504b43db

3x15 minutes at 336, 332, 330

Goal power was 326 so I tried to hold more. Ended up with 336, 332, 330 and set a 2018 10 minute best at 339. That will certainly fall once we get into some time trial efforts. 

5 min SS 1 TT 5 SS 1 TT, X3

Just like earlier in the week, these were 5 minutes at 326, 1 minute at 360 5 at 326 and 1 at 360, 3 sets. I always pushed the one minute to 370-390. 

Hiking and Biking in GSMNP

did a ten mile hike to Mt. LeConte on Thursday and a 54 mile ride to Clingmans on Friday. 

5 min at SS, 1 at PI, 5 at SS, 1 at PI, three times

Goal power was 326 on each 5 minute section and 360 on the one minute efforts. Right on target for the 5 minutes and well above on the 1 minute efforts. 

New Ways to Calculate FTP using TTE

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-physiology-of-ftp-and-new-testing-protocols/?utm_source=tpr&utm_medium=email&utm_content=coach&utm_campaign=2018_01_newsletter

2x25 minute tempo, 315 watts

Completed....supposed to do 30 minutes each but made a mistake on the timing 

Spin and Circuit Class HR Chart

under-overs

The goal today was 3 minuets at 326, 3 at 360 then 3 at 326 for a total of 9 minutes. I repeated that three times. 

Winter Training Evaluation: Where are you?

We're about halfway through January and about halfway through winter if we look at March 1 as the official start of the spring season. It really won't be long before we're on the road and competing in our key events. The winter season  is when we want to be doing our most focused and intense training. Racing into shape once we're into our season isn't the best plan. We want to fine tune at that point and not be trying to make major leaps in our power profile. We need to use the current training to push for the improvements in our power. If riding tempo, push to the upper end. If doing short efforts, like 10-30 seconds, try to set new bests for overall average for those as a group. Also be checking the normalized power for those groups and compare to previous efforts. Look for the those TrainingPeaks provided medals for best efforts of 2018 and also all-time. Look at the events you participated in in 2017 and calculate the power that you will need to reach your goals. I can obviously help with that. Settling for what we did is ok but once we start to settle, we usually start to go backwards. There really is no staying the same. Its about going forward or backward. Choose forward! 

In my own world, I have all of my medals hanging on the walls in our basement. The four silver from nationals in 2013 and 2015 were my motivation to ride better than ever in 2017 in Birmingham last June. Nothing wrong with silver but as Jerry Seinfeld said, 'congratulations, you're first among the losers'. And I lost by a little over a second in 2015 in Minneapolis in one event. That bothered me for two years. My training last winter was focused on not allowing that to happen again. My coach and I talked about that a lot. Every time I hit the bike I was thinking that I needed to train harder and smarter than the competition. It worked out well, and I'm already thinking of Albuquerque in 2019. While every workout isn't better than the last, I like to see an upward trend. 

I do realize that embracing indoor training can be tough. It can be boring. I need music or a movie, tv show or sporting event, along with reading material. For intense intervals, I ago with nothing but music. For longer ones, I'll use the tv and reading. I try to hold at least the power I would outside, if not more. The indoor environment is actually great for training given no stop lights, traffic, wind, etc. Its pure power and nothing else. And it's great training on staying focused. Sp, as tough as it use, embrace it. Ask yourself if your competition is training as hard as you. Hopefully they are not training harder, or smarter. 

Spine Friendly Core Exercises from CTS

https://trainright.com/spine-friendly-core-strength-exercises-protect-back-pallof-press/?utm_source=CTS+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ede29f8823-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_10-3-post-season-ultra-guide&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9d08d48022-ede29f8823-106443499&mc_cid=ede29f8823&mc_eid=7cc4bcc2b1

Indoor 100 miles

Rode 52 in the morning and 48 in the afternoon, doing intervals at tempo power in each. Power fell off on the last effort. Just couldn't get it going but thats ok. 

todays 3x20 tempo

Target power at 306 for each 20 minute effort. I ended up doing 25 at 307, 25 at 309 and 10 at 318. Also took the ride out to 52 miles, inside. May go for the 100 by getting some miles in later. 

How HIT Helps with Affects of Aging on Muscles from RBR

https://www.roadbikerider.com/latest-rbr-newsletter-2018/312-issue-no-792/3280-how-intensity-helps-repair-effects-of-aging-on-your-muscle-cells

Mistakes Made When Getting Back in Shape by CTS

https://trainright.com/surprising-mistakes-cyclists-make-when-getting-back-in-shape/?utm_source=CTS+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3c6ea9980c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_10-3-post-season-ultra-guide&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9d08d48022-3c6ea9980c-106443499&mc_cid=3c6ea9980c&mc_eid=7cc4bcc2b1

3x 20 minutes, tempo/SS

This was a repeat of last weeks 3 x 20 minute efforts with the pattern being 10 at tempo, 3 at SS and then 7 at tempo, 5 minutes at 200, 11 at tempo, 3 at SS, 6 at tempo, 5 minutes at 200, and then finally 12 minutes at tempo, 3 at SS, and 5 at tempo. Averaged 294 for one hour of this and NP of 288 for the 1.5 hours 

Todays HR Data From Circuit Class

Had it on while I trained a client, then for a pre-class light spin, and then through the class with plenty of lifting, jumping, etc. 

TSS vs hrTSS from TP

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/training-with-tss-vs-hrtss-whats-the-difference/?utm_source=tpr&utm_medium=email&utm_content=user&utm_campaign=20180106_weekly_news

Winter Indoor Riding

I'd much rather be outside riding but when the temperatures are hovering between zero and 20, I'm riding inside. Actually my lower limit to head out is temperatures in the 30's and rising. Above 40 and I'm going out, usually. Having been riding more for 38 years I've gotten used to riding inside. I estimate that 1/3 of my yearly miles (11-15,000) are in the basement. I know a lot of cyclist just can't deal with it but here are the things that make indoor riders very good training.

1. Its easy to walk in the door and get on the bike quickly. An outdoor ride just takes more prep time. During a busy weekday, the indoor bike saves time.
2. No stop lights or signs means the time on the bike is very efficient. I never stop pedaling.
3. Intervals inside are very repeatable and comparable from one ride to the next as there is no wind or slope influence.
4. Indoor rides are great mental training.  Time does seem to go slower inside. Learning to concentrate on cadence, power, and HR relative to watts will greatly help once we're back outside.
5. Speaking of watts, the indoor bike does allow for more consistent power outputs. When I look at the power graphs, indoor vs out, the indoor while still full of peaks and valleys has a much lower range of variability, maybe 10-20 wats. Outside the power will jump all over with watts varying maybe 30-50 watts. Keeping that goal wattage outside an be tougher.

How do I get through the indoor rides? I always have the tv on although usually I go with straight music for intervals using either my phone or the stereo. Nothing like some Altec Lansing studio monitors and some Allman Bothers.

I also read, a lot. I go through two or three daily newspapers, on-line articles, Kindle books, magazines, etc. I can read through long intervals at tempo and steady state. For the short big power efforts, I use songs to gauge the time. An 8 minute effort requires two good songs. Ten 30 second efforts, maybe one good 5 minute song. I also answer a lot of emails and texts while riding but I never take phone calls unless it would be an emergency.

I'll also use a basketball, baseball or football game to get in some rides and occasionally a movie. Even with some on tv, I still like to have something to read.

I don't use Zwift or any of the indoor group ride/simulated ride software. I actually found those to make the time go slower. Watching a simulated landscape go by on the screen just didn't work for me. And I don't enjoy the competition on those rides. I do better knowing what I need to hold given my events and training at and above those levels.

I'll also do two rides on some days, one in the morning and one at lunch or late in the afternoon. I rarely ride in the evenings.

Having a nice room to ride in also helps. Our basement is warm and carpeted and I have a large fan when needed. I'm also riding the Stages SC3 bike which is great for tracking all of the ride data and loading to TrainingPeaks.

2x20 tempo

Todays intervals were 2x20 minutes at 305-310 watts. Average power ended up being 307 on both. Made it a 50 miler just for fun. 

Base Training for the rest of us from CTS

https://trainright.com/cycling-base-training-dos-and-donts-for-amateur-and-masters-cyclists/?utm_source=CTS+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f11a5bccf9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_24-kale-kimchi-jeff-mahin&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9d08d48022-f11a5bccf9-106443499&mc_cid=f11a5bccf9&mc_eid=7cc4bcc2b1

3x15 tempo

Todays 3x15 at about 310 watts. Normalized power for 1:15 at 280, best one hour of the year at 288. HR at 76% of max during the efforts. 

Todays Tempo-Steady State-Tempo

The pattern here was tempo-steady state-tempo with these minutes in each:

10-3-7.....11-3-6.....12-3-5.....power goals were 306 for tempo and 333 for steady state and I was able to hit those. And the normalized power for the entire ride was 294. 

Slowing the Aging Process from RBR

https://www.roadbikerider.com/latest-rbr-newsletter-2018/309-issue-no-791/3273-anti-aging-how-to-slow-the-aging-process

Start off Year with new 1 minute record power and look back 2017

Mainly an endurance ride but threw in 60 seconds all out at 606 for a new all-time record. Ended last year with 11, 500 miles, lowest in 5+ years but that was by design. Rode 16 centuries, won state titles in Ohio, Michigan (2), Kentucky (2) and Florida (2) along with two national championships in Alabama at the NSG, an 11th place at USAC nationals, two bronze at the World Senior Senior Games in Utah and the Cleves title here in Cincinnati.