Looking Out At The Road Rushing Under My Wheels

Hard Training on Consecutive Days

2012-01-24T14:49:00.000-05:00

I have had a few people in recent weeks ask if its good or bad idea to train at the upper end of their zones on consecutive days or even over multiple days. In other words do we always need a day off between tough days? Absolutely not. I know that in the schedules I prepare for those I'm coaching and in the schedule my coach sets for me there are many weeks with 3 consecutive days of the same intervals high end intervals. With a day off before and after that block of training you should be fine. I usually find that I ride stronger on the second and third days. the cummulative stress from this training is a real benefit as long as you take the rest days.

This week, and the next few, on my calendar have three consecutive days of multiple steady state efforts (like 3x10 minute) holding about 330 watts. it was just a couple of years ago that I was holding 295-310 for the same efforts. The short term goal is to be able to hold about 365-370 for 14-15 minutes at the next indoor tiem trial and then carry that power into the spring time trials. Multiple efforts over multiple days over several weeks should get us there.

Article from the New York Times Magazine on Oscar Pistorius

2012-01-24T14:36:00.000-05:00

I've seen profiles on Oscar Pistorius in other magazines. His success not only in the Para-Olympics but also in track field against some of the worlds best raises the question of whether he should be allowed to compete in the upcoming summer Olympics. Are his artificial legs an advantage?

January Training

2012-01-19T07:12:00.001-05:00

The last 6-8 weeks have been heavy on Tempo efforts. We've been doing three consecutive days per week of 3x20 minute efforts holding around 300-310 watts average. While they always go by faster outside the power inside vs outside was always about the same.

Last Sunday was the third out of the four Indoor Time Trials. All of the Tempo efforts paid off as I was only 2 seconds off my best time on that course. While its a short course at only 10k it is a great way to get in 14 to 15 minutes at 95% of max HR and push HR to 100% on the last climb. I run my Powertap just to compare it to their Computrainer. Power is always higher on the Computrainer by about 15-20 watts. My Powertap showed average power at 361 and the Computrainer showed 376. I've actually held greater power, as high as the upper 380's, and ridden slower. I was hammering the uphills too hard and not keeping steady power on the downhills. Average cadence is around 100-105.

From that data my coach set a new goal for my field test (2x8 minutes, all out) at 370. I did that yesterday and held 365 and 370. These are well above what I held last September by over 15 watts. This just means all of my training zones will go up.

We're also doing a lot of strength training. At least three times per week we're working on lunges in every direction (forward, back, side to side, back to the side, etc), squats with free weights, pushups, pull ups, chin ups, plyometrics (a variety of jumps), plenty of single leg balance exercises, planks up to 4 minutes, and foundation training for all of those muscles from the neck to the hamstrings. This is pretty similar to the exercises I use with my personal training clients. Many of them are tri-athletes and cyclists. The first few sessions are usually pretty painful but after that they start to see the benefits of improved efficiency and great power in their training.

The winter months should be your most intense training. This is a good time to ask what is your competition doing right now? Are they training as hard as you are?

Harvey Newton on Strength Training

2012-01-19T06:50:00.000-05:00

This is from the January 19, 2012 edition of RoadBikeRider. Just some additional reasons why strength training is important for cyclists and other endurance athletes especially in the Master age groups.

Weight Training and the Master Cyclist: Coach Harvey Newton weighs in on the need for older cyclists to accept sarcopenia and adopt resistance training.

The world of cycling continues to debate the efficacy of off-bike resistance training as part of the total package needed for optimal performance on two wheels. There are numerous studies that show significant improvement in subjects exposed to sound resistance training, without a significant gain in body weight or muscle mass, or in changes to VO2 (meaning the improvement comes from the resistance training). There are other studies that show no connection between these two quite dissimilar training methodologies.

But the debate simply does not extend beyond the ranks of younger cyclists, according to Coach Harvey Newton. Sarcopenia, the reduction of muscle size and strength as a result of the aging process, is a reality for master cyclists. This is particularly true in those muscle areas not normally stressed by cycling, i.e., the trunk and upper extremities. As noted in the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Human Kinetics), “…resistance training may be one of the most beneficial modes of training for older populations who need to enhance musculoskeletal strength, muscle mass, bone mineral density, and strength-related performances.”

Newton, (www.newton-sports.com) former national and Olympic Team coach for USA Weightlifting, raced extensively through the 1980s. As a long-time advisor to USA Cycling on strength training and the creator of RBR’s Strength Training for Cyclists DVD training program, Newton maintains a simple message: “Both male and female cyclists, especially those in the master age groups, stand to benefit greatly from a sensible weight training program.

“But, many cyclists fall prey to three common errors: 1) choosing ineffective exercises, 2) using improper exercise technique, and 3) failing to continue lifting weights throughout the entire season,” Newton says. “Endurance athletes must learn that simply lifting weights is not strength training. To truly gain the strength and power benefits available through a solid, periodized training program, cyclists must adhere to training protocols well beyond those proposed in popular newsstand periodicals.”

He points out several recent studies that support his career-long message that resistance training is effective for cyclists and that everyone, especially masters, should include resistance training as a lifestyle choice -- and a health-maintenance choice.

• The June 2011 online version of the European Journal of Applied Physiology reported a study by Louis, et al. It compared performances of nine master (mean age = 51.5 yrs.) to eight younger (mean age = 25.6 yrs.) athletes. Even with ineffective exercise selection and a protocol that would leave strength professionals running for the exits, they concluded, “The addition of a strength training program for the knee extensor muscles to endurance-only training induced a significant improvement in strength and cycling efficiency in master athletes. This enhancement in muscle performance alleviated all the age-related differences in strength and efficiency (between the two age groups).”

• The February 2011 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise included a submission entitled, “Influence of Resistance Exercise on Lean Body Mass in Aging Adults: A Meta-Analysis.” Looking at 49 qualified studies, it was concluded that an average of 20.5 weeks of resistance training produced a significant main effect equal to 1.1 kg (2.3 lb) gain in lean body mass. This compares with the anticipated 0.18 kg annual decline of LBM that occurs in a sedentary lifestyle beyond age 50.

This review also concluded that “single-set and/or fixed-volume resistance exercise programs may no longer be considered sufficient for individuals seeking progressive adaptations in lean body mass.” In conclusion, “higher dosages result in greater adaptive response, and that aging individuals should consider starting a regimen of resistance exercise as early as possible to optimize results.”

• Another recent study (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol. 25, Number 3, March 2011) noted that the high percentage of male master cyclists with low bone mineral density, when combined with the likelihood of fractures resulting from crashes, warrants greater attention. They specifically suggested, “Coaches and health professionals interacting with cyclists need to promote alternative exercise such as weight training, plyometrics, and other high-impact activity to complement cycling training to help minimize bone loss in this population.”

“I know the studies on both sides of the argument,” Newton says. “It seems odd to me that cyclists argue so much more strongly against resistance training than do athletes in other, comparable endurance sports. But master cyclists (age 50+) really owe it to themselves to accept the scientific evidence and adopt resistance training to help stave off what is the inevitable loss of muscle mass and bone density that aging brings.

“Scientifically sound strength training makes sense to me, especially for the aging cyclist (Newton is 63), and convincing masters cyclists of this should not be an uphill battle.”

Some Inspiration Heading into the New Year

2011-12-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

At the upcoming Queen City Wheels banquet in late January we'll be handing out the awards for the various age and gender brackets for our Cleves Time Trial Series from 2011 in addition to recognizing the 50 plus members our our youth racing team, the Lionhearts, and the many accomplishments of the other men and women who race for the club. We had over 110 in attendance last year and we may hit 150 or more this year. It's a fun evening and a great opportunity to celebrate cycling in Cincinnati.

At the banquets we'll also be presenting a special time trial award to my friend Mike Keiser. For several years in the mid 2000's I trained with Mike twice a week at the Cincinnati Sports Club with personal trainer Paul Bodenbach. Mike was the national triathlon champion at Lake Placid in the 60-64 bracket, won the Eagle Man triathlon and placed in the top ten in Hawaii. He was in amazing physical condition, a great person to hang around and an inspiration to want to keep training and competing as I get older.

About 4 or 5 years ago Mike was hit by a car and spent many weeks in a coma and months at Drake Hospital recovering from severe brain injury. This past season Mike came out to the Cleves Time Trial on his recumbent tricycle and rode the course. We're going to present the Comeback Rider of the Year award at the banquet. As I said in the weekly report from Cleves I thought that Mike's ride was the best of the year and maybe the best of all-time. It had nothing to do with speed or power but it was all about determination. Mike has had to re-learn many of the daily tasks that we take for granted but he's still a competitor and an inspiration.

While at the club this past Wednesday I had a member ask me to come look at someone training in the pool. He was telling me that I had probably never seen anything like this before. When I looked through the window I knew the person in the pool he was referring to. His name is John Fogarty. John grew up in Cincinnati, graduated from XU is 1983 and now lives in Rhode Island. I think is now the administrator of a large hospital. He still has many relatives in the area so he stops back during the holidays.

In the early 1980's John had a landscape business in the Hyde Park/Mt. Lookout area. While clearing a view for some clients John lost an arm and leg when a large branch fell on him pining him in the tree. A local tree service assisted the paramedics in freeing John from the tree. He was maybe 20 years old at the time. Needless to say John overcame many obstacles and seeing him swimming laps is impressive.

The next you wonder if you really feel like training just remember how fortunate you are to be able to run, bike, swim, play golf, hike, take an aerobics class, etc.

Testing

2011-12-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

This week in addition to the Indoor Time Trial last Sunday my coach had on my schedule some power profile tests yesterday and field tests tomorrow.The power profile test consisted of two 10 second efforts to test maximum power and then one 60 second all out effort and a 5 minute all out effort to test sustained power. While we're not really concerned with my 10 second sprinting power since I don't need that skill it is interesting to compare it to the chart that shows what a typical cat 1-5 and professional level riders would hold. The one minute and five minute effortss along with the field test (2 x 8 minutes)are beneficial to my training. We'll do these three to four times per year to measure progress in terms of average power along cadence and heart rate averages and maximums. We'll make adjustments to my training zones as needed. For those interested in power on the bike and looking for some comparison my 10 second efforts averaged in the mid 600's and hit about 800 at their peak. A really great sprinter is going to be around 1500 or higher. My one minute was 560 and my five minute was 390. My field tests are usually around 360-380.

The Indoor Time trial is another great way to test your fitness on the bike. We use the same course every month and since we're riding inside the conditions don't change. Compared to November's effort my watts were down just 1 watt to 382 from 383 and my time just a few seconds slower to 14:57. Given the difficult training of the last several weeks (lots of power intervals) I wasn't too surprised not to see improvement. My fastest effort last year was in February.

My advice for those not using a coach would be to have something in your training that you can use test your fitness. If you ride, maybe you use the same hill to test your time to the top or a mile stretch of road that you can use to time yourself. If you run, you could every so often do a mile on the indoor track at the club (a controlled environment, great for testing) or a mile course outside. For those just concerned with basic fitness you could use your vertical jump height as a measure of power in your lower body, number of pushups (or dips or chinups) for upper body strength. Having some way(s) to test your progress can make your training have more purpose and keep you motivated.

The Start of Winter Training

2011-12-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

I'm glad that I took advantage of the day after Thanksgiving (sunny, high in the upper 50's to low 60's) to get in another 100 mile ride. I'll continue to get plenty of miles in over the next three months but too many of them will be on the trainer inside. It's boring but also the most important training of the year. i'll post updates on what I'm doing and why over the winter.

For the last few weeks my coach from Carmichael Training Systems, lets just call her Julia (after all, that is her name), has been assigning plenty of Power Intervals. These are 2 or 3 minute efforts at a cadence of 100 or even 110+ and the biggest power I can hold. The time between is the same as the time of the interval. We do from 6 to 9 intervals, usually two days in a row. Heart rate is usually reaching into zone 5 by the end of the interval. These are also called VO2 max intervals for that very reason. You're training your body to ride at your absolute maximum. This will be beneficial for other training later in the winter, the indoor time trial series I ride during the winter months, and for all events in 2012.

It always helps to ask yourself if you're competition is training this hard. Probably not, which is another reason to keep these on the calendar. As miserable as they can be I actually prefer them to hammering the really long steady state or time trial efforts when I'm riding inside. Must be an issue with keeping focused for those multiple 20 minute efforts.

The most recent edition of Tri-Athlete magazine has a brief article on strength training by Joanna Zeiger, Olympian, tri-athlete and Phd. She strongly suggests that master age athletes strength train 3-4 times per week in the winter and twice per week during the season. She recommends that your workout include explosive training (plyometrics--ask those attending my Indoor Endurance class about these--loads of fun!) and resistance training. Studies have shown improvement in sprint and endurance power, improved efficiency and increased time to exhaustion for running and cycling, and also an increase in VO2 max (your ability to use oxygen). If done properly, you wont bulk up! You will switch fat for lean muscle. Remember also that it's about lower reps, maybe 8-12, two to three sets, using a weight that is about 80% of your one rep maximum.

Stretching

2011-11-22T14:54:00.000-05:00

The following responses are from the USA Cycling Coaches google group regrading a topic on stretching. Personally, I've always been one to believe that you should condition all of your muscles because this will usually increase the range of motion, lesson the chance of injury and ensure that you counteract the muscles that are over-developed by your sport. Lots of varying opinions on whether to stretch or not and when to do it if you do. Here are a couple of responses:

Okay folks, I don't usually pipe in, but on this one I must.

I read the research and I stay current on the science, however let me tell you my personal story, because I believe
it will save some of us and many others lots of misery!

I have been racing bikes since 1981 and I basically don't/didn't stretch. I might do an occasional stretch here and there, but
for the most part, nil. Obviously, I have been successful in spite of this, however I am now paying for my lack of maintaining
my flexibility through regular stretching...

Cyclists are known for chronic hamstring tightness, especially when compared to runners. I have found and continue to
discover that my hamstring tightness and the pain in my lower back are closely connected. (My massage therapist proved this
to me by working my hamstrings thereby alleviating my low back pain). As many of you know, cyclists suffer from lots of low
back pain, especially L4-L5 and I know several cyclists who have had back surgery to correct this. Could proper stretching
have mitigated some of these back issues? Are you showing your athletes how to keep their hamstring limber?

Another area for cyclists is the neck and upper back. I am now suffering from cervicular radiculitis, which is basically a
pinched nerve in my neck C5-C7. I have been seeing chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbalogists, nutritionists, massage
therapists and ralfers to alleviate the issues. What's the message that keeps coming back to me? By not stretching my
scalenes, SCM, levator scapular and trapezius, these tight muscles have pulled my vertebra into closer contact over time which causes
compression of the nerves in my neck. My doctor recommended surgery! I am not gonna go there. How many cyclists do you know
who suffer from a pain in the neck? The positioning of our neck while riding, plus the tension generated while racing puts
a tremendous strain on the neck and upper back muscles. I am finding that regular stretching is necessary to have a functional neck.

Once again cyclists especially have a limited range sport so stretching is not as "necessary" to be able to ride effectively, however as I
have tried other sports (running and speedskating) I am discovering how limited my range of motion is for other sports
and my current medical bills far outstrip the low cost of routine stretching.

Of course I am over 55, which I am sure contributes to the problem, however I bought a copy of Bob Anderson's book, "Stretching" and
I do many of the stretches he recommends. I now make sure ALL my athletes learn some of the basic cycling stretches and
general flexibility exercises. While the greater range of motion "may"not contribute significantly to the sport of cycling, they
certainly contribute to a greater quality of life over the longer term.

So regardless what all the "scientific" research says, stretching leads to a greater overall quality of life and certainly will save lots of
back and neck pain and expensive medical bills.

Glen Winkel, Ph.D.

and another response......

While research is going to flip-flop all the time (mid foot strike
running, or ball of the foot running is a great example), here is the
most compelling things out there, and my position and findings from
working in the Strength & Conditioning Field, and coaching athletes
over the years, with the athletes ranging in age from Elementary
through Collegiate (Division 1), to late 60's. I've had the fortune to
be able to see and work with people from all across the lifeline motor-
development stages, and this is my experience, and some of my
knowledge:

-STATIC stretching PRIOR to exercise, will not only reduce the
contractility (strength) of a muscle by roughly 12-18%, but it CAN
increase risk of injury. (makes sense, your telling the muscle's
governing bodies -the Golgi tendon organs- to relax before they are to
perform.--new research suggests that the GTO is not the limiting
factor/ determinant in the stretch-reflex cycle, though they say this
still hold true --the decrease strength following static stretching,
that is.

-STATIC stretching as part of a cool down is (In my opinion and
experiences) absolutely an integral PART of maintaining joint
musculature balance, a key factor in injury prevention (proper
strengthening of the lengthened muscles is the other)

-STATIC stretching, for muscles working a shortened position, as well
as used primarily in sport, can be used along with a strength routine
to help increase the range of motion about a joint, as well as to help
work the muscles at that joint return to their natural resting length
balance

-Dynamic stretching as part of a good warm-up routine has been shown
to INCREASE contractility of the muscle, and the excitement of the
nervous system.

-Dynamic Stretching needs to be done systematically to be most
effective, not Haphazardly thrown together

The fact is that Cycling shortens the muscles of the hip joint, and
the chest. These two joints are the only two ball and socket joints in
the body. These are at the highest risk for injury due to the vast
range of motion they are built to have (but usually most people don't
get 70% of their full ROM due to tightness/weakness of the muscles at
and around these joints).

Being on the bike for hours on end, in a position where the hamstrings
are being lengthened, the quads, hip flexors (Ilio-psoas), and
pectorals (chest) muscles are all being shortened, leads to great
changes in resting length over a period of time (take a look at the
leader of your local Masters 45+ team, and tell me how their posture
looks... most have a kyphotic curvature of their back, and their hips
have a slight to significant anterior tilt, and chances are that the
adams apple on their neck are protruding due to tight extensors of the
spine/neck).

The chronic shortening and strengthening of theses muscles in that
position lead to significant musculo-skeletal changes (posture,
skeletal alignment), which can not only increase risk for injury, but
also for herniated discs, lumbar and cervical stenosis, as well as low
back issues/pain, just to name a few.

Stretching IS and SHOULD BE an integral part of ones routine,
targeting a dynamic warm-up that not only hits the muscles to be used
within the sport, but also the muscles that WONT be used, or are
stabilizers for the prime-movers. This will allow the athlete to have
a higher likelihood to decrease their risk of injury, perform better,
and ride for a longer period of their lifespan...not to mention enjoy
their life outside of riding!
The Cool down should include Static stretching of the Calfs, Quads,
hip flexors, and Pectoralis musculature, as well as ACTIVATION
exercises for the hamstrings, gluteus, and rotator cuff musculature
(at minimum).

Stretching is just half the battle! YOU HAVE TO STRENGTHEN THE
OPPOSING MUSCLES!!! joint balance is KEY, and this has been found time
and again...for example, the strength of the hamstrings has been found
to be best (least risk for injury, highest level of performance) when
the hamstrings have 61% of the strength of the Quads. **muscle tears
don't happen because of weak muscles, they happen because of highly
imbalance joint/opposing muscles, and because the stretch-shorten
cycle is thrown so out of whack****
most cyclists get off the bike and stretch the hamstrings and gluteus
because they are tight... they're tight because they are much weaker
than they need to be!! stretch your Quads not your hamstrings!!! and
strengthen the hip extensors (hamstrings, gluteus)!!!

The key is finding the right stretch in-strengthening balance. (by the
way, did you know as little as a 6-8% difference in leg strength (left
vs right) significantly increases your risk for injury?)

to find the imbalances, one needs a postural assessment, and an in-
sport and out of sport MOVEMENT analysis, not strength assessment.
Strength is important, trust me, I know, BUT it matters WHAT is
strong, through what range, as well as how does it sit in accordance
with the natural balance of the joint (i.e. for the shoulder, the
strength ratio should be 3:2, External rotators: internal
rotators....most individuals sit closer to 3:1...NON cyclists)

The bottom line?
Stretching, when done properly:
-At the right time (dynamic Vs Static)
-in the right order
-with a proper movement and strength analysis
-with an individual-appropriate strength training regimen
-with attention paid to stabilizing musculature
-with appropriate core strength (NOT crunches and sit-ups!!!)---google
McGill Crunches, and McGill Side Planks
-taking into account movement in sport

Can not only have an incredibly beneficial effect on one's in-sport
abilities, but also on ones lifestyle/ life outside of sport, Not to
mention decrease the risk of injury (overuse or otherwise).

Oh, and by the way, American College of Sports Medicines Technical
definition of AGING?
"Loss of range of motion about a joint. "

If you want to stay young, technically one needs to stretch,
strengthen ALL the muscles about each joint to maintain joint
stability, and range of motion.

Stretching and strengthening together has not only helped each and
every athlete I work with come back from the injuries they suffered
prior to working with me, but it has helped them achieve heights /
performances they never thought they could achieve.

But I'm still learning, and it's just my opinion. I just hope it can
help you out too.

--
Menachem Brodie

Training Mistakes to Avoid, courtesy TrainingPeaks

2011-11-15T07:52:00.002-05:00

The following is from TrainingPeaks.......

As 2012 approaches, this is a great time to sit down and think about how to avoid some basic but all too common training mistakes in the upcoming season. Here is my list of the top eight mistakes to avoid in 2012.

#8: Skipping your post-workout meal

All too often, athletes forgo the post-workout or post-race meal. This is a big mistake and one that can lead to a slow recovery phase. Do yourself a favor: find a recovery drink that works well for you and drink it within the crucial first 30 minutes after your workout. This will get you on the fast track to a full recovery. Also, since it’s a drink, you’ll be able to enjoy your recover meal no matter where you are.

#7: Not resting on your rest day

I hear this all the time: “I felt good on my rest day, so I just skipped it!” This type of training approach can lead to burnout and sub-par training sessions. Rest days are important and should be considered an integral part of any athlete’s training schedule. Not allowing for adequate rest which will affect your performance on intense training days.

As your fitness increases, your rest days will become less frequent, which is all the more reason to take advantage of them when you can.

#6: Training largely off of miles

I spoke about this in detail in one of my past posts. The general idea is not to get too involved with the idea of training in miles because it can lead to a decrease in training quality. Concentration should be on quality and not quantity. This will also make your training time more efficient, which is a huge plus for those with busy schedules.

#5: Training off of others

Training off of others is an easy mistake to fall into. I like to think of this as co-pilot training. What can happen with co-pilot training is that you slowly start to change your personal training plan to fit with those of others, a mistake that can make it hard to excel to your personal best or even beyond the fitness of those around you. Adjusting your plan when training with others not that bad from time to time, but if it turns into a weekly habit, it’s time to make some changes.

To keep things social while staying on your individual plan, simply work your training into your ride with others. Don’t be afraid to tell your training partner or group that you’ll be taking it easy at times and pushing it harder at others in order to stick with your training plan, they will understand!

#4: Only training your strengths

At times it’s really hard not to want to train only your strengths. After all, when you go out for a training session that plays to your strengths, you naturally feel better about your training time. This is a tough habit to break since your body and your mind want to do what they do best.

To make the most out of your training, make sure you are putting in enough time working on your weaknesses. Stay away from picking rides that only play to your strengths. If you know you need to become a better climber, schedule some climbing days. The idea is to improve enough on your weaknesses that they just become secondary strengths. As one of my former coaches used to tell me, “Train your weaknesses and race your strengths”.

#3: Training with old target zones

Training is an ever-changing process. As such, you should stay on top of your training zones and make changes with your fitness levels. Neglecting to update your training zones can lead to over- and under- training. Try to revise your zones once every three months; this will keep you training in the correct zones for your fitness.

#2: Neglecting to lay out a proper season plan

This is a mistake that is easy to avoid but sadly, all too many people fall victim to it. Creating a proper season plan and trying your hardest to stick with it will improve your fitness and performance.

A proper season plan will have specific goals for events and training. Make sure to be as specific as possible when laying out your season goals. “Do well in a road race” means nothing. Compare this to “Finish top five in the Category 2 race at Holly Ridge Road on April 20”. Laying out a good season plan is one step that will also help you avoid some of the other mistakes on this list. Do yourself a favor and start preparing your 2012 season plan as soon as you can.

#1: Forgetting to have fun

Remember back to when you first started your sport of choice. What was it that hooked you? For most people, their answer will include the word “fun”. Sadly, few people will use that same word to describe their current training in the same sport! Training will not always be fun, but with a little effort it can certainly be fun most of the time.

Try to mix elements of fun into your training whenever possible. This can take form in various ways. Some may have a few dirt roads they can jump onto during a long road ride; others might find it fun to do some swimming drills with the local college swim team. Whatever makes you smile during your training is well worth incorporating into your schedule.

Staying true to the “fun” that hooked you to your sport of choice is crucial to your life as an athlete. Forgetting to have fun will lead many people to walk away from sports, and that is one thing that should be avoided at all costs.

Happy Training!

First Indoor Time Trial

2011-11-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

The first JDRF Indoor Time Trial was held on November 13th in Dayton. It's a 10k computrainer course, the Morgul-Bismark I think. The course has no flat sections so there is plenty of opportunity to work on holding power both up and down hill.

I ended up riding faster than my first two efforts in November and December of 2010 but I was still about 15 seconds off my best from last February. Here are the stats:
time 14:54, average HR of 171 (94% of max, 106% of LT), max HR of 181 with tested max HR at 182, average cadence of 105, average speed of 24.95, average power of 383 watts, and wt/kg of 4.91. That was my highest watts for kilogram out the five times I've ridden this. My weight is down and power about steady. It is worth noting that my Powertap showed average power of 353. Seems like everyone's power is a higher on the computrainers.

This is a great way to get in a truly all-out effort in a competitive environemnt over the winter wonths. Even if you don't ride time trials this event can help you develop the type of power that would be beneficial in road races and crits (assuming you're training for this). If you don't normally train with power this is your opportunity to see where you stand on a 10k ride. It's also nice to have something on the calendar during the winter months if you're not doing 'cross. The next event is on December 11th. Go to www.w8ds.com for more information.

Strength Training

2011-11-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

Here are some basic but essential exercises for endurance athletes to incorporate into their training not just in the winter but year-round. Ideally you would allocate 3 times per week during the fall and winter months and twice per week during the racing season with each session being 30-60 minutes. During the fall and winter you can do the strength work before your riding (or running or swimming) and during the season do the strength work after your other training. It's best to do the training that you want to emphasize first so that you give that your best effort. You don't want to do intervals one day and then strength training on what should be an off day. Keep your off days as off days.

core: planks; side planks; reverse planks; incline bench sit ups; crunch
upper body: pushups; pull ups; dips; curls; press; lat pulls
lower body: lunge; side lunge; reverse lunge; squat; box step ups

This is a pretty basic list but once you start varying the weight and number of reps you'll have no problem going 30-60 minutes. I have a list of over 100 variations on these and additional exercises that I use in my classes and with personal training clients. Contact me if you'd like to see more exercises.

Take It To The Limit

2011-10-31T07:45:00.000-04:00

I've had a new coach since the start of the summer after working with the previous coach for about 6 or 7 years. Its always interesting to have someone else look at your training and race results. With the outdoor time trials over for thsi year and the monthly indoor time trials starting in two weeks my coach has been looking over my power data and questioning whether I am really riding as hard as possible. She asked me if I ever train until failure. I said that the closest I come to that would be in the 3 minute power intervals. I might be able to hold 400+ for the first two but then I drop to 380, 360 and lower. She suggested that we test my power over longer times.

After gradually raising the wattage goals and time in the intervals over the last couple of weeks she assigned me two 20 minute efforts at 360 watts, about 10 watts above what I would hold at the 10.2 mile tt at Cleves or the 10 mile at the Blue Streak. Seemed doable even under a non-competitve environment.

I rode out US 52 starting the first effort just past the entry to Coney Island and finished near the Beckjord Power Plant in New Richmond. Average power--350. Seemed like I was holding 360-380 a lot but obviously not enough. HR was at 95% of max or or 109% of FTP at the end and averaged about 102% of FTP. I took about 8 minutes between and started the next effort. I knew 5 minutes in that I wasn't going to be close on the power but HR was way up there. In the end power was about 335 and HR was higher than the first effort by another % of FTP.

While I didn't push so hard that I had to stop I wasn't too far from the point where power was dropping enough that it wouldn't have been beneficial to continue. The other barometer would have been taking my HR to 98% of max or 110-112% of FTP. I can get there but can't hold that for long. It's like doing the VO2 test on the road.

The point here isn't that you should train to failure every time and in fact you really shouldn't but it is good every once in a while to find that point of failure. The best training zone to develop power over time is right around your FTP. Spend enough time there and you'll gradually increase the power that you can hold in that range.

Updates from Webinars and Conferences

2011-10-27T11:20:00.000-04:00

In the last two weeks I've listened in on a few USAC webinars and also attended a two day seminar at Eastern Tennessee State University at their College of Sports Science. I'm working towards the 200 CEU's I need to become a Level 1 coach. I'm just over 150 so hopefully in the next year I'm able to attend the Level 1 certification conference in Colorado Springs at the US Olympic Training Center. In the meantime I'll note some of the highlights of the webinars and seminars.

The one webinar dealt with training athletes over the age of 50. I'll turn 50 in 2012 and don't really consider it an issue since I know I can keep getting faster. I know that the athletes I coach approaching that age or over that age feel the same way. For the general population there is a loss of muscle mass, increase in body fat, reduction in growth hormones, reduced resting metabolic rate and max Hr and stroke volume, and a drop in VO2 max (about .7% per year from age 25-65). Thats some really depressing news but thats only for those who aren't training properly. If you are using interval training and pushing yourself into zone 5 (or at your VO2) you can actually expand your blood volume, increase Hr output, maintain or increase VO2, improve your musular efficiency and increase your power output well into your 50's. You can even hold that level of fitness until you're in your 60's. If you want to see some data to back this up just look at the times from the Masters Nationals time trial. This event is all about power and holding your HR at 92%+ of max HR or holding 100%+ of your Functional Threshold Power. The times in the 50+ brackets are competitive with the lower brackets every year.

For any age athlete your training should include an aerobic component, plenty of intervals that specifically highlight the strengths needed for your discipline, and strength training. The conference at ETSU covered the these areas. Moderated by Meg Stone (1980 and 1984 Olympian from Great Britain) and her husband Mike Stone (long history in exercise physiology including heading that department with the US Olympic Committee), the conference offered presentations by Olympic coaches and plent of Ph.D's in exercise physiology covering topics like Acute Stratgeies to Improve Performance, Practical Aspects of the Training Process, Physiology of Sprint and Road Cycling, Training for Endurance and Sprint Cycling, Nutrition for Individual and Team Sports, etc. Throw in the great food at the Millenium Center on the ETSU campus and the presentation at dinner on Friday night on the history of the Olympics and it was a great two days. ETSU is actually trying to become an Olympic Training Center and given their program and facilities it may happen.

While some of the talks were over way head (an hour on mysosin light chains!) there was a lot of great information that will take me months to sort through and integrate into training programs. The one topic that was emphasized was the need for endurance athletes to add strength training to their schedule. Three one hour sessions per week in the winter and two sessions per week during the season were recommended. It was noted that even 30 to 45 minutes would be fine for the time crunched athlete. The cycling team at ETSU is regularly using a system of strength training that includes power cleans, the clean and jerk, the snatch and other moves that you see in weightlifting competitions. After watching the 60 minute presentation to succesfully perform these moves I would not recommend going to the gym after just watching a youtube video on these. I could see plenty of ruptured discs and blown knees. The point is that strength training will benefit cyclists by improving power to the pedals, enabling you to hold your position in crits with a strong upper body, helping you maintain proper form on those really long rides, reducing the chance of breaking bones should you go down, etc. Runners and swimmers would find similar benefits in improving their efficiency, developing a longer time to exhaustion, reducing the chance of injury, etc. And you really wont bulk up from this training. If anything you'll exchange fat for muscle and ideally lose weight in the long term.

I'll start posting at least once a week as we get into winter training.

The Rules.....

2011-09-26T14:58:00.000-04:00

I was seen by the local Sunday group ride (all cat 1's and 2's of considerable fame and success) riding home from the sports center in gym shorts with cycling shorts under them and my team long sleeve jersey on a 1986 Tommasini with a seatpost mounted touring bag. The attached was sent to me so that I would no longer commit such offenses. I beg for forgiveness!

Our Minds and Our Performance

2011-09-21T07:12:00.002-04:00

Tour de Kentucky

2011-09-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

I signed up for the Tour de Kentucky last winter. This is a ride that starts in Covington at the Roebling Suspension Bridge and ends in Jellico, Tennessee some 210 miles later. The riders gather at 2:30 am and hit the road sometime around 3 or 3:15. The route is on SR 25 with one section on 26 south of Corbin to Williamsburg.

Prior to the ride I was doing a century plus about every weekend starting in April with about six rides exceeding 140 miles and two over 150. I had about 20 of these in by the day of the event. This is probably over-kill but I actually started to enjoy the long rides.

The day of the event I got up at 1:00 am having hit the sack around 8:30 pm. I left my house at 2:00 am and rode through Mt. Lookout Square and then Newport as the bars were emptying. As promised we departed the bridge about 3:15 with about 16 riders.

The first thre and a half hours in the dark were actually fun. Everyone had plenty of lights front and back so even in the darkest stretch south of Florence to Georgetown the riding felt safe although the flashing red tail-lights became a little annoying.

We rode into Lexington around 8:30 and then into Richmond around 10:15 after a stop in Georgetown for food, drinks and much needed bathrooms. In Richmond we took a longer break for some real food, took a 7 mile wrong-way ride out of town and then finally got back on course around noon.

The ride to Berea was full of traffic but the section south to the Renfro Valley and into Daniel Boone National Forest was actually very quiet and scenic. London to Corbin was once again crowded. In Corbin we took 26 to Williamsburg where we got back on 25 into Jellico. With stops in most towns we arrived in Jellico around 6:45 pm.

The days total was 225 miles, about 9000' of climbing with a normalized attage of 199, average hr of just 124. This was the plan---keep everything low.

The following day I rode with Greg Tombragel to Gatlinburg, another 106 miles, where another friend was waiting at the Wimberg chalet with my truck. After some quick showers we got in the truck and drove home. All told, 331 miles in 18:15. Great way to spend a weekend!

Training Updates

2011-08-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

The time trial season is winding down and as hoped my times have been faster now that the extreme heat and humidity have departed especially at the early 5:30 ride time. My goal was to have at least one time under 22 minutes and I hit 21:58. My times at the blue Streak in Dayton have been fast with a 21:18 in August, just 6 seconds off my PR. the weekly time trial at Cleves is great training even without being close to my PR of 21:34. The interval training from Coach Julia at CTS has been tough but extremely worthwhile. The hill accelerations and 30 minute tt efforts have made a difference.

The 217 mile Tour de Ky is in less than two weeks. I've logged 18 rides over 100 miles this season and several over 150. I'm not too worried about the legs handling the effort but more worried about that much time on the bike. The new team shorts are big improvement and I've upgraded to some high-end Specialized gloves. I'm looking forward to a well-paced day across Ky on that Saturday and then a 100+ day on Sunday into Gatlinburg.

I should hit the highest mileage total for a year by the end of 2011 with over 15,000. Many of these are very low wattage and interval days (whether one or several in row) are followed by easy days and rest days. Should do well with the few time trials left and then head into the indoor tt season in November feeling strong.

Climb for the Cure

2011-08-28T20:59:00.002-04:00

This is a nice article on the Climb for the Cure.

Question on HR efficiency

2011-07-05T07:14:00.000-04:00

fitness question. at what heart rate does the heart stop being efficient? if it beats to fast, can it process the blood? i know the general rule is 220 minus your age. but after years of competitive cycling, i can maintain 165bpm for 3 hours.
thank you for helping

Terry

Interesting question. Lets start with the 220-age for the maximum HR number. This formula has been discarded since it was never really based in a scientific fact. basically two doctors on a plane came up with this when they were discussing patients with heart conditions. They wanted an easy way to determine max HR and using a small sampling of patients this seemed to make sense. Its actually been determined to be useless.

The best way to determine this along with VO2 and lactate threshold (LT) is to be tested. There is an exercise physiologist at NKU who will do this for free. For the record, my max HR is about 185, and I'm 49. The formula says it should be 171. Also keep in mind that max HR is a value that is relative only to each individual. In other words, someone with a max HR of 210 isn't going to be stronger or faster. Its all how we use it.

If we think of VO2 as the size of our engine, then Lt is how efficiently we use that engine. Someone could have a small engine but but be very well trained and efficient and ride very well where as someone could have a large engine and use it poorly. Ideally, you have a big engine and use it well. Most great endurance athletes do both.

If yoy can hold 165 for several hours I would say this is your 'endurance' HR. Your LT HR would be the HR that you could hold for one hour. Think of doing a 40k tt and recording HR. We could also find ranges of HR for steady state (just below tt HR), tempo (just above endurance, kind of a hard group ride), power efforts (above tt and close to max).

So does your heart ever become 'inefficient'? I'd say no. It reacts to the demand placed on it and will allow you to exercise at the pace that you've trained for and will actually stop you from exercising to the point of complete failure (ie, death at the extreme end). The key is to make it more efficient by training your self to be able to ride above LT for longer and longer periods (use more fo the engine). If its beating, it's processing.

Peter A. Wimberg

Riding A Century

2011-07-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

Prior to 2010 I had ridden about 6 centuries in my first 27 years of riding. I did many rides each year in the 70-80 mile range but rarely did 100. Once I started riding from Cincinnati to Gatlinburg and had a need to ride 140-150 a day for two consecutive days I started to add 100 miles to the calendar. I'll be the first to admit that rides of 100 miles usually left me tired for days. Once I see a weakness, I like to solve the problem so in 2010 I did 22 rides of 100 miles or more. A few exceeded 140 miles and about 10 were 110 plus. I also had several between 90 and 96 that I didn't count in my total. The odometer had to roll over 100 for it to count.

So far this year I've already logged 12 rides over 100 miles and just yesterday did 145. At this point, both physically and mentally the 100 mile ride has become routine. What used to be a daunting ride to consider is now just a standard weekend ride.

Besides proving what we all know, that we can train ourselves to do almost anything, I've found that the rides of 100 miles or more, usually taking a little over 5 hours for 100 from Cincinnati to Ripley and back to 7 or more for the long rides of 130+, can improve mental focus as well not only for these long rides but also for short interval training and racing. Theres something that happens, especially on an out and back route, around the 80 mile mark when you know you still have another 30-40 miles to go. The physical and mental training benefits are well worth the effort.

Thoughts on Training and Competing through June

2011-06-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

The problem with the individual time trial being held on familiar courses is that you're always comparing yourself to your personal best. At our weekly Tuesday night event in Cleves, OH, I'm pretty consistently a minute to maybe 30 seconds off my best. Thats a lot of time to make up over ten miles. I guess you go every week hoping to hit the right conditions with the right peak in fitness. The other factor affecting my ride is managing the event. Riding alone 90 minutes before everyone else removes the motivation of having others on the course. It shouldn't matter, but I know it does. Riding the Blue Streak in Dayton is much more fun when all I have to do for that event is show up and ride, and hopefully pass a lot of other riders.

The silver at the state tt extends my streak of 15 years winning a medal. Gold is always more fun, especialy when they hand out a jersey for the first time, but given my motivation (pretty low) and training prior to the event (had a full week off due to travel), and being at the top of the age bracket, I'll take it. I do find the 40k to be too long. Much prefer something around ten miles. The Senior Olympic tt's of 1-6 miles are looking pretty inviting.

I have a new coach at Carmichael as my previous coach moved on to a new career in the financial world. I could have used this as a chance to get out of the contract but I still like having someone to report to and to set my calendar. The ten hill repeats last week were also a lot of fun.

Overall, training power is in the upper end of all of my wattage zones and I've ridden ten centuries with a couple above 120 miles. The 217 Tour de Kentucky on September 10 will be here before we know it.

Re-Evaluating the Extreme Aero Position

2011-03-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

The first 40k time trial of the year was held in March in northern Kentucky. Its a flat to rolling course along the river, pretty typical terrain and similar to Cleves. Prior to the event, I took my position on the bike to as low in the front as possible and raised my saddle to open my hips. I took some pictures and this is about as flat as I've ever had my back. I rode several times in this position and changed my Cycle-Ops Indoor 400 to a position pretty close to this. After seeing the extra power it took on the indoor tt's to just a little faster I really thought going more aero would be the answer to going faster.

About 5 miles into it, I realized I had made a huge mistake. First of all, my neck was killing me. If I looked down at the road, I was fine but given the potholes and just general riding safety this isn't a great way to ride. I was also finding that I just wasn't generating the power I usually do. I was also extremely uncomfortable. For the first time ever in a tt, I was coming out of the saddle just to use some different muscles and take some of the pressure off my neck. Lesson learned---back to the old position. In fact, I'm even experimenting with bring the bars up a little higher and moving back on the saddle. I was pushing big power at the indoor tt's in that position. As long as I stay as narrow as possible, take advantage of the equipment (tires, tire pressure, helmet, etc), I may gain some speed in a position that allows a little more power even if a little less aero.

Thoughts on Indoor Time Trials, Power, and Aerodynamics

2011-02-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

The last indoor 10k time trial was last Sunday, February 13th. I rode all four of the monthly events starting last November. Starting with November, my results were 356 avg wts/4.5 wts per kg/time of 15:02, 364 avg wts/4.68 wts per kg/ time of 14:57, 382 avg wts/ 4.91 wts per kg/ time of 14:46, and finally 379 avg wts/ 4.87 wts per kg/ time of 14:39. Obviously with an indoor time trial there is no aerodynamic advantage for any rider. This simply a matter of watts per kilogram. If you go to the results at www.w8ds.com, you'll see that for the most part the highest wts/kg in each category was the winning time for that category.

From the first tt to the last I improved my time 23 seconds but this also required 23 extra watts on my average. If we look at the relative numbers I added 6.7% to wattage average but only improved my time by about 2.5%. This doesn't seem like the best return on your investment in power, especially when you consider that riding outside that the increase in wattage isn't a straight percentage but an exponential increase due to aerodynamic drag. My time would likely have improved even less outside if we assume no head or tail winds.

I also did four indoor 20k tt's at NKU with similar results although it was a perfectly flat course. I think the course in Dayton, with its hills, allowed for improvement in riding efficiency. This would account for my last ride showing a lower wattage avg and per kg while I went faster. Looks like I improved my downhill efforts to pick up speed while not going higher on the power in between.

I guess what these indoor tt's show is that improvement in aerodynamics could be the better pay off when riding outside. The energy it takes to add more power to overcome the resistance of the air has a minimal return compared to gaining more speed by being as aero on the bike as possible. And remember that your position accounts for 80% of the aero equation. Its not always about the most aero frame. In fact we know that the skinsuit and helmet mean more than the frame as do the wheels. I'm not at all saying power isn't relevant! you still need to take power as high as possible but at some point you have to take into account other ways to improve your avg speed and finishing times.

For road racers, there is a lesson here in that you want to conserve power until absolutely needed, be aero on road bike, use downhills to your advantage, and in general ride as efficiently as possible. We all know that being the strongest rider in the pack isn't a guarantee of winning. You have to ride smart and play to your strengths.

February Training

2011-02-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

For most of us the racing season is going to start in March whether that will be the Spring Series, 40k time trial, or other local and regional events. Your training during February should be some of your most intense and focused of the year.

This is a great time to work on some power intervals. These are efforts of 2, 3, or 4 minutes at maximum power and a heart rate approaching your max. The time between efforts is the same time as the interval itself. You can start with 3 to 5 two minute efforts on the first day and then try 4 to 6 the next day. Include these in a 90 minute ride where the rest of the ride is at your endurance pace. Be sure to take a rest day after these. The following week you can increase the time so that you complete 3 to 5 three minute efforts on one day and then 4 to 6 efforts the following day. You could also stick with the two minutes but add more efforts such as 5 to 7 two minute efforts followed the next day by 6 to 8 efforts.

I would also start to add some steady state efforts if your going to be doing time trials. These are one step below your time trial pace. If you're using heart rate try to hold a high zone 4 or low zone 5. If using power you'll want to be around 85-90% of your functional threshold power. Try to do several 10 minute, 12 minute or even 20 minute efforts.

If you are road racing I'd recommend riding some long tempo efforts, like 2 or 3 thirty minutes and adding in some 30 second sprints at 5 to 10 minute intervals. The idea would be to simulate the pace of a race with some of the out of the saddle efforts you'll need to put the hurt on your competition.

Top 10 Irrational Fears About Strength Training

2011-01-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

This is from Vol 14, No 3 of Performance Cycling by Harvey Newton. While geared towards cyclists it would also be appropriate for other endurance athletes. These are ten of the most common reasons he heard from cyclists who didn't want to strength train not only in the winter but year-round

1. I'll get too big, ie much larger muscles, if I lift weights: There is no basis in scientific literature for this. If you suddenly add muscle weight you are either training with too much volume and/or eating more and cycling less. More often that not the off-season, or winter training period, is also when training volume is reduced. We tend to eat more than required given the season. Keep in mind that increased strength does not require noticeably larger muscles.

2. I'll gain weight in general: Significant gains in weight only happen if you increase calories, reduce activity, or both of these. Bodybuilders engage in all kinds of behaviors to gain weight and cyclists seem to think that some basic lifting will cause a huge and immediate impact on their weight. This is another reason to lift year-round. You wont likely assume that the lifting in the off-season is the reason for weight gain if it is part of your training consistently. You'll also find that you substituted lean weight for fat and either lost weight or stayed neutral.

3. I'll be slower climbing: Once again, adding weight is not the same as adding muscle. The added muscle will help you climb if you strengthen your lower body to allow more power to the pedals, strengthen your core to allow your upper body to work on the handle bars, allow your lower body to have a stronger mid-section to work off of, reduce fatigue in the shoulders and back, etc. Time on the bike training to climb is obviously still needed but proper strength training will help.

4. Strength training takes away from time on the bike: You only need two sessions of 45 minutes to one hour per week, year-round. This may mean 30-40 less miles per week but the benefits not only to your cycling but also to your general health are well documented.

5. High reps will improve muscular endurance and avoid adding bulk: Improved strength comes from high intensity efforts and this means fewer reps and higher weight. Sets of 15 or more would be considered muscular endurance training. You'll get that on the bike. Shoot for 8-12 reps, and 1-3 sets using 75% of your one rep maximum.

6. Strength training is a waste of time for endurance athletes: For every study that shows no benefit, there are two that show it will help. There aren't any studies that show it to be a detriment if done properly. There is also strong evidence that injury prevention is a major benefit.

7. If you lift heavier weights, you could get hurt: You can get hurt lifting heavy or light weights. The key is to start off with lighter weights and then build to heavier as you gain strength and develop proper lifting technique. You do want to work on strength so heavier weights will be necessary. Get proper instruction if you are not familiar with lifting techniques.

8. I'm not sure what to do in the gym: There is no one program that will work for every athlete. you don't need a large variety of exercises to achieve basic strength goals. A few upper body, lower body and core exercises can be sufficient.

9. I just want to train my legs, everything else is a waste of time: Cyclists overly strong legs are a reason to train the upper body and core. Muscular balance is important to maximum performance. The upper body is needed to pull on the bar and resist fatigue in the upper and lower back from long hours in the saddle.

10. Cross training is more fun than lifting and provides me with the upper body strength needed: Cross training (cross country skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, running, etc) is still engaging in an endurance sport, not strength training.

More thoughts on Winter Training

2011-01-18T16:25:00.000-05:00

I was talking with Will Peveler, exercise physiologist at NKU, about the increase in strength training that endurance athletes typically incorporate into their training during the winter months. I told him that the people I train/coach all comment that after a workout with plenty of lunges and squats that they can "feel" certain muscles when they ride that they never felt before. This is obviously a good sign that the exercises are stressing muscles used in cycling. Recruiting these muscles is going to be beneficial in adding more power to the pedal stroke. The cycling motion itself is using these muscles but not as completely as the exercises in the gym.

My question to Will was why would the endurance athlete stop these exercises once the race season starts if we know that after just a week to ten days that the muscles will start to revert to their previous condition and after a month it's as though we never did the training at all? I've always kept pretty much the same workout program year-round and taper it along with my time on the bike for key events. Will thought that made sense but he also noted that he couldn't produce any studies that backed it up. I'm going to stick with my year-round strength training. Maybe Will will assign this question to some students. Could be interesting.

Another topic is the idea of using the winter to build base miles with many long, moderate hours on the bike. The one problem with this is the challenge of getting in a lot of hours on the bike in the winter. I'm ok with maybe two hours a day, sometimes three, but I wont ride an indoor century (although its tempting---I'm sure I have enough live Skynyrd and Allman Brothers to go for several days). The most recent TriAthlete Magazine had an atricle by exercise physiologist Matt Dixon. He makes the point that your weekly training should include time in every training zone, from the lowest to highest intensity, to increase your aerobic base and to train your body to use stored body fat. The key is planning how much time in each level and allowing for adequate recovery. the months of January and February have always been my most intense training on the bike, and my coach has been recommending this for the last nine years. The difficult two and three hour rides in the winter usually allow me to get right back into the longer rides in the spring and start racing close to my peak power of the previous year. Ideally we take that peak power a little higher each year right about the time my key events are on the calendar.

Dealing with indoor training

2011-01-13T22:31:00.000-05:00

I've been known to log a lot of miles inside much to the amazement of many of my friends. In the last six weeks I think I've only ridden outside about 5 times but have still managed to get in 13-15 hours most weeks. To me its all about the environment where you'll be riding inside.

Long ago I took over the basement for my bikes and music gear (lots of drums, piano, pa system---thats for a different blog). For the riding, I have a Cycle-Ops Indoor 400 which is truly an amazing indoor bike. Besides the usual current/max/avg cadence,speed and HR, it has the ability to set target wattage or slope from -10% to +10% or gearing from 1 to 22. It also provides training stress score, intensity factor and the best adjustment of saddle and bar heights on any indoor bike I've ridden. After 30 years of wind-trainers, magnetic resistance trainers,fluid trainers, CompuTrainers, shredded tires, and flat tires, I am enjoying the Cycle-Ops 400.

But does it make the indoor training go by faster? Not really but it has made it more efficient. The target wattage has been especially beneficial. If I want to hold 280-290 watts for some long tempo (this week it was 4x20 one day and 3x20 the next), I set the wattage and will be right in the zone as long as I keep my cadence steady.

How do I pass so many hours inside? I will note that I don't own even one indoor cycling training dvd, no Tour de France dvds,or really anything cycling related. Quite honestly I find watching bike races pretty boring. I'd rather watch a movie, a concert, a basketball game or listen to one of the XM radio channels while I read books, magazines and newspapers. I have a music stand that allows me to read quite easily on the bike. For certain intervals, I'll concentrate on just that effort but for longer efforts I've found that I can hold the power while I read or watch the tv. I've actually found that some of my best training occurs indoors given the consistent environment and efficiency of the time spent on the bike. My goal is to start the spring ready to go and not having to ride myself back to my race fitness. If you can train hard inside, you'll be able to ride even better outside.

January Training

2011-01-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

January and February are critical months on the training calendar. My coach will usually recommend increased time on the bike that includes some very long weekend rides. Unfortunately with the weather in our area, these hours are usually inside, and quite often reduced by 15 to 20% or so. What we don't compromise on is the intensity of the training intervals within those hours. The intervals can always be completed inside if the weather doesn't sccomodate riding outside.

Intervals in January and February should be designed to start the development of the skills you'll need for your event(s). If you plan on racing primarily crits, you may want to work on tempo efforts with high intensity sprints every 5 to 10 minutes. If road races are your goal, you may want to work on holding tempo efforts that will also incorporate steady state efforts and/or some climbing efforts. Time trial specialists may want to start working on steady state efforts and power intervals. The basic idea is to start getting your mind and body ready for the type of efforts you'll be needing once the race season begins.

In addition to some specificity training you should work on any aspects of your racing that may have been lacking in the previous year. In otherwords, you may have a sprint that is outstanding but an inability to ride at steady state power wont allow you to be in the right spot to use that sprint. Spending more time on some longer efforts just below threshhold power may help. You can also use shorter but more intense power interval efforts to increase your Vo2 and LT which will translate into better steady state power. The point is that there are a number of ways to improve your performance through interval training and the winter months are a fine time to start this process.

Functional training

2010-12-16T10:02:00.000-05:00

I have a handful of personal training clients who are interested in improving their cycling performance. Part of the training involves a variety of lunges, squats, single leg exercises, core work, and plyometrics. Everyone of them has told me that they had no idea they had so many muscles they weren't using and how they could feel these muscles engaging when they hit the bike. My goal in training them is to improve their functional fitness or, in other words, to optimize their power on the bike. A Power meter measures force either in the hub or crank arm or soon will be offered in the pedal. The force comes not just from the muscles in our legs but also from our core. If your core isn't strong, and our leg muscles are essentially firing from the hips down and the hips are tied to our core,you can't possibly be applying all of the force possible. Now I know plenty of cyclists who can hit the leg press and do multiple reps of 500, 600, 700 or more pounds. Many of these same riders can't complete even one proper single leg squat. The single leg squat requires strength and balance through the leg and core while the leg press is both legs working against your compressed spine with very little core involvment. Which is better for cycling? Be sure that your off the bike training is designed to optimize your on the bike power.

Testing Yourself

2010-12-10T19:52:00.002-05:00

The goal of our training is to improve our performance but how do you know if we are improving especially during the winter months when there are few if any events? The best way to gauge progress is to conduct periodic field tests. A field test could be any ride that you can repeat during the year that allows you to record and compare speed, wattage, time, heart rate, etc. You could be comparing maximum and/or average numbers for the parameter(s) depending on your specialty. The course you use would also be dependent on your discipline.

For example, since I concentrate on the individual time trial I use two 8 minute time trial efforts as a field test. I use the same road each time or do them inside. Either way, I have a basis for comparison year after year for outside and inside data. I am primarily looking at average wattage. My coach will usually start testing me in February and then periodically during the season to check progress.

For a rider interested in crits, you may want to test your sprints and check average speed, maximum speed and power if available. A road racer could use a climb to test their time to the top, average power and/or speed. Once again, the idea is to have a course that is repeatable and as unchanging in environment as possible. The test doesn't have to be long in time and in fact something less than 8 to 10 minutes is probably preferable. You'll have plenty of opportunities for pushing the limits on time at intense speeds and power during your training and racing and while those efforts are certainly comparable the shorter repeatable efforts offer less chance for factors that may skew the data such as wind, temperature, etc.

This a great time of year to find that hill or flat stretch of road and test yourself. Don't worry if your results don't seem as strong as hoped. If you train well this winter you'll be setting new standards in time.

Notes from Will Peveler Seminar at NKU

2010-12-02T08:49:00.002-05:00

Notes from Will Pevelers November 30th Seminar:
There is no ‘off-season’, it’s just a change in training. It’s important to keep your aerobic base and add in the strength training.
The concurrent training is not detrimental and in fact the strength training should be looked at as a valuable supplement to your training.
A properly designed strength training program can increase your time to exhaustion by 11-20%. This is the result of improvement in economy due to neuromuscular adaptation. Your type I muscles, motor unit recruitment and eccentric muscle cycle will all increase with strength training. If this doesn’t get you in the gym I’m not sure what will!
For all of those worried about adding weight, your body composition will over a 6-12 week program will actually stay the same or change very little. You will not become an incredible Hulk or Schwarzenegger spending 60 to 90 minutes per week in the gym.
Another benefit of a strength program is decrease in the likelihood of injury. This would be the result of correcting muscle imbalances (think about strengthening tight hamstrings that could lead to back injuries that are so common with cyclists), increasing joint stability (cyclists work in one plane, the saggital—time to work the frontal and transverse also), improved biomechanics (think of stability around your knees that allow better power to the pedals without knee problems or a strong core that allows you to really hammer out of the saddle), and increased bone density (cycling doesn’t provide much in the way of impact to our bones, and hitting the pavement doesn’t count).
Options on time in the gym:
Weight training: lunges, squats, pushups, etc; proper form is critical; the variety of exercises need not be extensive but there are hundreds of options; I prefer big weights and low reps but there is some debate on this vs high reps and low weights; I also prefer free weights to machines in that you have to work on stability and core constantly with free weights
Plyometrics: only do after a solid period of strength training and know how to do these leaping and bounding exercise properly; they are great for explosive power
Body management: really honing in on the type of body you need for your event and the exercises that will improve your performance; maintaining this form year-round is critical
This training can be done two to three days per week during the winter but be sure to work it in with your cycling so that you still have off days. In other words, don’t do intervals on Tuesday and Thursday and then strength training on Wednesday and Friday followed by the group rides on Saturday and Sunday. Consider doing your strength work later in the day after your intervals or plan an off day between hard days on the bike and in the gym. Also learn to ride really easy some days. So many cyclists just can’t handle the 100 watt ride. A recovery ride should be just that.
During the season you must keep up with the core work. Keep doing core exercise two days per week even if just for 15-20 minutes each day. I’d also recommend keeping the upper body work on the schedule and some limited leg work depending on your training and racing schedule.

2010-11-30T13:40:00.001-05:00

great article on competing as we age

Ready to Train?

2010-11-27T08:43:00.002-05:00

If you are the typical road rider and you ended your season in September or October and you have been riding the last six to eight weeks without any structure (ie, riding just for fun, not that training isn't fun), you can use December to start your training for the 2011 season. If you've been riding 'cross events this fall, you still need to take some time away from the intense rides even if its just three to four weeks. For those ready to make the most of December here's where I'd start and why.

The months of December, January and February are the most important in the training calendar. The road season will start up in March and while peak form is not needed or even necessarily desired at that time we don't want to simply 'race into shape'. I can't think of anything more miserable than struggling through the first four to six weeks of racing as you build fitness. Its better to build your strength and endurance over the next several months and then fine tune during the season and then properly peak for key events.

Some of the athletes I'm coaching will be working on Tempo efforts this December. The Tempo effort is beneficial for a number of reasons. These will allow for better utilization of fuel during races, increase your ability to handle the more intense efforts that will come in January and February and beyond, allow you to develop better power at moderate intensities, increase your ability to store muscle glycogen, improve your ability to use fat as an energy source, increase the mitochondria in your muscles, and improve your aerobic efficiency. That's a lot of benefits for one type of interval!

So what is the Tempo effort? Lets first start with a cadence of around 75-85 which may be a little lower than the pace we use normally. Lets also stay in the saddle even when climbing. If you're using heart rate (HR), you should be in the 75-84% of max HR range (zone 3) or 85-95% of your threshold HR. If you're using power, you should be around 80-85% of threshold power. By 'threshold' I mean the HR or power that you can hold for one hour.

I'd recommend that you start with Tempo's two days per week. They can be separated by one day or for more fun do them on consecutive days. The duration and number of efforts should build over the month. For example you could start with 2x8 minutes and 2x10 minutes in week on followed by 2x12 minutes and 2x14 in week two. The options are endless but you could, and should, eventually be working on 4x15 minute efforts. It wouldn't be usual to do 60 to 90 minutes non-stop in late winter or early spring. At this point the idea is to build for three weeks and then recover for a week. Your level of fitness would determine the frequency, duration and intensity.

Whether you're riding indoors or out and whether your riding crits, road races, time trials, or 'cross, the Tempo effort should be a big part of your training.

Indoor Training

2010-11-20T07:21:00.002-05:00

It looks like the first really cold weather is headed our way at the end of the week with temperatures on Friday hitting a high in the mid 30's. If it's not heading into the 40's, I'm training inside. Actually, I even train a lot inside throughout the year just because I like the controlled environment for certain rides and intervals. I've found that a true recovery ride is best ridden on the trainer where there is no temptation to catch other riders or hammer up a hill. But lets get back to winter indoor training.

I'm assuming that you have some type of indoor trainer and that it allows you to ride from a very low power to a very high power output. I've owned trainers by TravelTrac, Cycle-Ops, CompuTrainer, Kinetic, etc. They all work just fine. Currently I have the Cycle-Ops Indoor 400 and it truly the finest indoor bike I've ever had the pleasure to crank out 12-15 hours a week on. Check 'e out at Montgomery Cyclery sometime. There are unlimited combinations of slope (-10% to +10%), wattage zones, gearing (1 to 22), etc. I love this bike.

To make indoor training a little more tolerable I'd recommend the following:

have a tv if possible; I can only listen to music so long before I need something else to occupy my time, and this comes from a pretty avid musician

read while riding: get a music stand and read magazines, books, newspapers, etc; I studied for my personal trainer certification on the trainer over several months

ride twice per day if you really can't stand to do the long (two hour+) ride all at once

take a spin class: I know that some of these aren't real cycling oriented in terms of the intervals but its still time on the bike, and just skip the intervals that don't make sense

use a cheap rear tire: the nice tires will shred in a few weeks; get a $20 Continental, non-folded; it will last all winter and more; I hate having to change a flat inside

get a fan, and not the kind that is going to clap when you ride hard--one to keep you cool

drink a lot of fluids before, during and after!!!

track your heart rate or power to make your intervals interesting; the controlled environment inside is great for comparing efforts over time---use it to your advantage; if you can hammer inside this winter, you'll feel that much better when you finally get out in the spring, mentally and physically

consider using some of the training dvd's and share them with friends who have different dvd's

have group rides inside, if you have room for multiple bikes

If there is an interest I can get the spin room at the Cincinnati Sports Club. We have 35 bikes. The cost would be about $10 per person to come in and have access to the club all day.

Interval Training

2010-11-13T08:25:00.002-05:00

About two years ago I had a coach call me with some questions regarding the USA Cycling coaches program. At the end of the conversation he left me an interesting comment. He must have been talking to some athletes that I was coaching or had coached and he told me that having them do intervals in December is wrong unless these athletes have races in January. I thanked him for the advice and chose not to get into a lengthy discussion with him regarding how wrong he was.

I have to think that that belief comes from a lack of understanding of what constitutes an interval. An interval can be off the charts difficult or also quite easy. This time of the year I do, and I recommend, some high cadence work of 1,2,3 minutes at 120+ rpm (pretty easy) and some slow cadence, big gear seated climbs of 4-6 minutes (pretty hard). I don't have any pressing events on the calendar but I also don't believe in losing fitness, especially as a master age athlete. The recent 20k indoor tt is about as hard as I will go and I will take plenty of rest after that event. Am I doing 60 and 90 minute steady state and tempos? No Am I doing 3,4, and 5 minute ower intervals? Not yet. My goal, and the goal I have for my athletes, is start their really intense interval training in January. I want them to start these not from a low level of fitness but from a really great base that allows them to attack the efforts and ideally go further with their power than the previous January. Keeping them fresh through November and December with some intervals is fine.

I also recommend plenty of really easy days on the trainer pushing low watts. These are great recovery rides. Some riders have a hard time doing this. They think every ride should have some difficulty to it. I do find these rides easier to do inside where there is no temptation to take the hills hard or catch other riders. And for those who think there should be no intervals this time of year I'd have to say that most of the weekend group rides end up being interval workouts so be cautious on those. The training goal of the group may not be your training goal for that week.

If you pace yourself properly through the fall and early winter you can maintain your fitness through the harsh winter and be ready or some serious improvement with your racing in the spring.

Weight Training for Cyclists

2010-11-07T07:02:00.002-05:00

While it used to seem that mosts cyclists didn't want to spend time in the gym because they incorrectly thought it would add un-needed weight to their body or they thought the time would be better spent on the bike I can tell you that the trend is towards using the gym to improve cycling and acheive total fitness especially for the master age athlete. I recommend that cyclists incorporate weight training not just in the off-season but year-round. There is little point in starting a weight training program in December just to abondon it in March. With this system you spend weeks every winter acclimating your body to the training just to quickly lose it as soon as your stop in the spring. Instead, you should devote more time in the winter, maybe two or three days per week, and then taper down to one or two days during the season. The types of exercises, sets and reps would also be adjusted depending on the time of year. I certainly go heavier on my legs in the winter but keep core and upper body in my routine all year.

You should choose weights that allow you to complete 2 or 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Usually this would be about 75% of your one rep maximum. I'm not recommending your try to find your one rep max by picking up two 80lb dumbells and trying some curls! A little trial and error will let you find the correct weights. Notice also that I'm talking about free weights and not machines. There are some great machines but they do work isloated muscles. There are some machines like the leg extension, Smith machine, and leg press that I avoid. They present a variety of issues with your back and abnormal motion of your legs but thats a discussion for another day. I prefer to work as many muscles as possible and free weights accomplish this. Here are some exercises that should be a part of your workout routine:

lunges (in place, side to side, backward, etc; don't just work in one plane of motion)
squats (many options from feet together, single leg, legs in lunge position. etc)
dips
pushups (many types from standard to elevated feet to rotation, etc)
sit-ups (many variations)
crunches
planks (standard and side)
military press
lat pulls
squat combo: combining the squat with an arm curl to a press

I have a list of over 100 exercies that I use in my classes and with personal training clients. You would be welcome to attend one of my classes at the Cincinnati Sports Club or we could have a team training day there if anyone is interested. Working towards total fitness will help your cycling!

2010-10-28T06:54:00.002-04:00

As we head into the off season we will most likely be reducing the time we spend on the bike due to decreased daylight and lousy weather. If that is the case, you'll also be burning fewer calories per day. This is fine as long as you also reduce your caloric intake. Now be honest, is that really going to happen or do you accept the fact that you'll gain weight over the winter? As much as I think de-traning over the winter isn't wise I'm also convinced we don't want to add on the pounds over the winter. We're mainly master age athletes with familes, jobs and a host of other commitments. We don't want to take the time in the spring to lose added winter weight when we should be dialing in our training.

I encourage you to take the next week and record what you eat each day, and be completely honest about it. There are plenty of websites available that will calculate your daily calorie intake. If you need help, let me know. I can enter your food into a site that I use, BodyMedia.com, to come up with some totals. This site, and others, will also break down your daily intake into carbs, fats, and proteins by percentage. You may be surprised at how many calories that three way is adding to your diet.

Making specific recommendations to you on your diet would best be left to a dietician. In fact, my certification for personal training specifically forbids trainers from handing out detailed dietary plans but reviewing what your eating, how often your eating, recommending a balanced diet and making referrals to qualified dieticians is encouraged. We will have a dietician at our winter Cycling Seminar currently scheduled for February 12, 2011. We'll have more information on that later this year. In the meantime, here are some valuable things I learned from my dietician, Dawn Weatherwax at Sports Nutrition to Go:

Monitor your protein intake: I was hovering around 12-15% when I need to be around 20%. I really have to make and effort to take in that much protein.

Eat six times per day: I rarely sit down for one big meal. In fact, it doesn't even feel good to eat big meals and I avoid restaurants that serve them. Your engine needs fuel at regular intervals.

Eliminate the junk but it's ok to slip every once in a while: I still love my pizza and the occasional soft serve ice cream but you can't allow these 'freebies' to be on your daily meal plan.

Think of your food as fuel: How will that cookie help your training? Not much. Try to make sure that what you're eating will only help you, not hurt you.

Eat and drink regularly on rides: I was doing centuries with a couple of bottles and a few power bars, and that is stupid. During the heat of the summer I can carry 4 bottles on my bike and I load my pockets with food. I try to eat and drink constantly.

Monitor your body fat %: Get a scale or calipers or pay to have it measured in the BodPod. The scales aren't very accurate but they do give you a benchmark to work with. The calipers are accurate in the right hands. You don't need to or even want to be ultra-lean like a marathon runner or tour rider but being lean is great. Shoot for 8-12% for men and 14-18% for women if you want to be in that very fit athletic range. You spent big money on that light bike so why put a body with un-needed weight on it?

Give it time: I worked with Dawn for 6 months and brought my body fat down from about 11% to about 9% and have felt strong all season. I don't miss any of the junk food that I removed from my diet and in fact can't imagine eating some of the tings I used to crave.

I hope this helps especially as we head into the winter months.

End of the Season

2010-09-25T12:50:00.002-04:00

I rode my last time trial at Cleves last Tuesday. I'll miss the last one this upcoming Tuesday and missed two others, one in July and one in August. All in all, I think rode 18 at Cleves, one in Dayton, states, nationals, and a few others. Thats a lot of high intensity efforts over a 5-6 month span.

Going into the season I had three main goals: win the state tt in the 45-49; place in the top 15 at nationals, and set a PR at Cleves. I reached the first two but came up 15 seconds short at Cleves. With so many attempts, I can't be disappointed. Some years its just doesn't happen. My average speed on that course compared to 2009, my fastest year, was just .06 slower. My top three fastest times averaged were about 8 seconds different. So while 09 had some really fast times, it appears that in '10 I was maybe a little more consistent. Given the duties that come with managing the event and having to ride about 90 minutes earlier, I'm pretty happy with the results. To e another year older (48) and no slower is fine with me.

I head to Gatlinburg tomorrow with Dan Waite, by bike. We'll then do some riding around the TN/NC area for the rest of the week. After that I'll use OCtober and most of November for nothing but easy rides, mental and physical recovery and getting back into the gym a little more. I've logged almost 10,000 miles so far this year with 14 centuries, with two days above 140 miles starting tomorrow. Its been a challenging year of racing and training but the work I did with Dawn at Sports Nutrition to Go, Barbara at the Center of Human Performance and Hoyt at CTS has helped immensely. Its all about pacing yourself, proper recovery, maintaining focus, and training hard at the right times.

Riding Clingmans Dome Is So Much Fun

2010-08-27T21:59:00.002-04:00

I love riding to Clingmans Dome. From our chalet in Gatlinburg its about 26 miles each way. Other than the initial mile and a half into town and the mile descent before the final ascent a few miles from the top, its all uphill starting 1400' and ending at 6300'. My best time from the chalet is 2:09 which I just did yesterday, August 26, 2010. This was 2 minutes faster than my previous best set in March of 2009. On both rides I did some intervals on the way up with five 8 minute steady states in '09 and one 1:15 tempo yesterday. I use a triple which I find makes the ride much faster, even if that gearing brings a lot of grief from local riders. I like to be able to spin when I'll be climbing for 2+ hours. Copmact gearing would also be a good idea.

I've done this ride in the the of summer, the foggy mornings of fall, and the late snow of spring. It seems like the uphill is always hot, and the downhill cool, at least to Newfound Gap at 5000'. Even in the peak of summer, the temperatures at the top wont exceed the upper 70's and will usually be in the 60's. You'll want to check the weather anytime you're planning this ride as it can turn cold with rain quickly.

I've run into all kinds of riders on this road. I once came down from Clingmans with a guy who was fearless as he hit 50 +mph, and had to keep waiting for me. I once saw an older gentleman on the way up who was probably going no more than 3 mph. I saw him on my descent two hours later and he seemed to have not gone but 5 to 6 miles further. Several hours later while we were in Gatlinburg having dinner I saw him ride through town. He had to have spent 7 hours on the ride. I've seen loaded down touring groups with panniers and trailers. I also ran into a cat 2 female cyclist who had made her first ascent having started in Townsend. This made it a 38 mile trip each way.

Given its proximity to our area, this ride is worth making the trip down I-75. There are also many other roads in the area worth riding from the Gatlingburg to Cades Cove loop, Roaring Fork, TN 416,Gatlinburg to Cherokee, the Blue Ridge Parkway, etc. If you want more information, contact me. I've been visiting since the erly 1980's.

How to Cope With the Heat

2010-08-12T08:06:00.002-04:00

During the summer of 2009, we had only four days above 90, and two of those were on consecutive days in early September. During the month of July in 2009, we never even met the average daily high for any day. The summer of 2010 has actually been closer to an average summer for our area in terms of days above 90 and with just slightly above normal temperatures overall. While the average daily high has only been about 1.5 degrees above normal, the average daily low has been about 3 degrees above normal. The humidity has been the real problem and the reason for our high afternoon heat indexes.

Training and racing in this weather can be draining. I've been working with Dawn Weatherwax at Sports Nutrition to Go since February and one of our goals was to minimize the loss of performance on the really hot days. Losing 2% of your bodyweight can cause a 10-20% reduction in performance. Dawn had me chart my weight before and after training or racing, the time spent on the bike, and the amount and type of fluids consumed. The goal was to come back from all rides within 1% of my starting weight, or with less than 1.7 lbs lost.

I do a lot of my training at lunch so I've had plenty of opportunities to ride in the heat of the day. Even while going through 3-4 20 oz bottles in 90 minutes I was still ending some rides with a 4-6lb weight loss, or about 2.3 to 3.5%. The power data from the rides backed up the power loss that would be expected as fluid was lost and not adequately replaced. If I was doing 3-5 intervals of 10-12 minutes, my best power was always the first two. Several times my last effort was my best but I think this was the typical 'its the last one, go for it' boost.

Part of the testing that Dawn did with me was measuring sodium loss. She determined that I lose about 1000 mg of sodium every hour when training. When you combine that with the fluid loss, we're really talking about having to consume a lot of fluids and a lot of sodium on long and/or intense rides. I've been riding a century plus almost every Saturday since April and I've finally gotten to the point that I can come home at my starting weight and having replaced the lost sodium. I'll go through about 200 oz of the Gatorade Pro Series 02,and add a Gatorlyte (770 mg sodium per pack) or two along the way. This is all dependent on the weather conditions but it just shows you how much you have to take in to maintain the fluids.

At the Cleves time trial this past week, the weather was challenging to say the least at 5:30 when I went off with the early riders. My truck showed the temperature at 100. I only warmed up for about 20 minutes (10 at a pretty light pace and then ten minutes with just a few one minute time trial pace efforts). I drank while warming up and while waiting to ride the event. I took in 40 oz during this time. All was going well for the first half of the course which has more shade than the second half. I was averaging 27.8 at 5.1 miles, usually the slower half of the course but this was one of my fastest rides this year, at least so far. Right where we exit the woods and come out by the power plant, everything changed, and quickly. The sun was right over us and the heat from the road was noticeable. The final miles to the finish were as difficult as I've ever experienced at Cleves. I never take a drink riding that event but I pulled the bottle out a couple of times on some of the uphill sections where losing some areodynamics wouldn't hurt my speed as much. I ended up finishing with my third fastest time of the year but it wasn't much fun. I also lost speed on the second half, which is usually where I gain speed. While helping with the timing at 7:00 and until I got home around 9:00 I drank about 120 oz of the Gatorade Pro 02, and I was still down 3 lbs.

At Masters Nationals I saw riders warming up for the time trial on their trainers under tents in the parking lot. Talk about hot, and counter productive. It is possible to be too warmed up, and I think that was a problem for some riders on that day. If the loss of fluids is going to cause a performance drop, I'd rather start off completely topped off than already at a deficit.

Be sure to track your weight before and after rides and replace those fluids with proper pre, during, and post ride hydration. Also, if you're really interested in tracking your diet and sleep patterns, go to www.bodymedia.com. I've been wearing the armband for several months and the data is amazing.

Master Nationals Time Trial

2010-08-04T15:24:00.000-04:00

You do have to wonder why we keep going back to this event. I think they could do a watts/kg test on everyone and just hand out the medals. They charge us $85 plus an extra $20 for day-off race number pick-up so we're over $100 to kill ourselves on a course that usually seems better suited for a road bike than a time trial bike. And yet, since 1997, I think I've ridden in nine national championship events, and plan on going to all that I can as long as I can.

Like the local time trial, I go because I want to see where I stand against the top riders and in this case its the best in the country in my age bracket. I've finished as high as 14th and as low as 36th. This year I finished 15th on a course that I finished 21st on in 2009. I think I was the happiest 15th place finsher of the day. It was hot and humid day so I rode a very limited warmup of about 20 minutes and then got in line for my start. After having my bike checked by the officials and once again meeting the morphological exception on my bar length for my long arms (I'm 5-10 but have a 6-4 wing span) I was told to remove my helmet. The official then inspected the inside and pointed out that I had worn through the sticker that designates the helmets approval rating. He said he could technically disqualify the helmet for use, and that I should get a new sticker from LG.

Lots of riders were having problems with the start ramp. The drop was maybe 3' but the ramp was only about 5' in length, same as last year when I almost fell coming out. I was relieved when I made it out without incident and got onto the course and right into the first and longest climb. I paced myself better than last year and once at the top I was able to get right into my tt pace of 26-28 mph on the flats. The rollers to the turn were still slowing me down and at the turn I was around 25.2 mph avg. I was still around that average coming to the downhill to the finish but was able to get my top speed well above 45 mph and ended up with a time 32:28. The winning time was 30:19, and the top ten required better than a 31:37.

It was pretty interesting that USADA was finally on hand to do some drug testing. It'll be interesting to see if anyone failed. I'm not sure why anyone would risk their long-term health to win a fake gold, silver or bronzee medal but they do. I really enjoy competing but it's not worth that risk in my opinion. I'm thinking that I just have to keep going and outlive a lot of the competition. The 80+ bracket only had one rider.

Time Trial Season, so far

2010-06-19T09:01:00.002-04:00

So we've had 7 time trials at Cleves and the state championship already this season. Oddly enough I rode my best time at Cleves so far this year on the second week when I snuck into the 21's at 21:58. My two slowest have been the last two weeks at 22:38. The second week was windy and I recall going by the powerplant, on the slight uphill, at 28 mph and holding over 30 for most of the flat sections covering the last few miles. Even the uphill finish was at 26+. The last two weeks have been almost windless and going off early at 5:30 does seem to put a few of us at the height of the daily heat. Last week was particulary brutal with very high humidity. That was as close as I've ever come to stopping on that course in several years. I finished but I felt horrible for 30 minutes after.

If you don't currently weigh yourself before and after your training rides and races, you may want to start to. I drank no fewer than 6 bottles from my arrival at Cleves at 4:00 pm to the time I left around 8:30. I was still down 6 lbs when I weighed myself! This is 3.5% of my 170 lb weight. That type of dehydration has a a huge effect on performance. I know it's taboo to carry water on the bike for a tt but my dietician is convincing me that the water loss is way more detrimental than the added weight. Power drops by over 10% when you're down that much. Might be time to start using the Camelback vest on the hot nights.

First Time Trial of 2010

2010-04-13T08:20:00.002-04:00

So does all of your winter training, all of those tempo efforts, steady states, and power intervals hammered in the basement while watching "Shawshank Redemption" for the tenth time, come down to your results in the first race of the season? Thankfully, no. Its a long season and the first event should be used as barometer to gauge what aspects of your training need adjustment and how your training is proceeding in light of your goals for the season.

For the first 40k in Alexandria, my time was about 80 seconds faster than my first ride on that course in '09. That seems like it would be cause for some satisfaction, and it is. From a personal standpoint, given the cool temperatures in the upper 40's to low 50's, the wind, the new bike, and the 10 times normal pollen count, a faster ride is a positive. The hard part is looking at the standings is seeing other riders already meeting or exceeding their previous season PR's. All you can say is congratulations to them and then stick with your plan. In my case that's following CTS Coach Halverson's monthly schedule, keeping up with the improvements in my diet as provided by Dawn at Sports Nutrition to Go, and continuing to work with Dr. Walker at the Center for Human Performance on race-day focus. One race down, and about thirty to go. The Blue Streak is on Wednesday. Should be nice and warm that afternoon so the times should be fast.

Changes in Training for 2010

2010-03-05T08:22:00.002-05:00

I like to update my training every year not only to keep it interesting but also to take my time trial performance to new levels, hopefully. Here are a few things I'm doing for 2010:

1. Visit a Sports Psychologist: Dr. Barbara Walker at the Center for Human Performance is one of our QCW team sponsors and also a very accomplished cyclist and runner herself. I've had several appointments with her and our discussions have been fascinating. Keep in mind this isn't about laying on a couch while we discuss my childhood, although that could be an interesting journey. We've been looking at goal setting in terms of not specifically naming events where success is desired but instead looking at the overall goals needed to acheive the race goals. We narrowed this down to specificc training goals (ie, watts/kg), imrpovemenst in diet (see below), and improvements in aerodynamics 9ie, position, equipment). Each goal had numerous sub-goals. We're also working on focused and controlled breathing techniques, controlling stress during life in general so that more energy is available for training and racing, improved mental focus, and optimizing rest and recovery.

2. Diet: I met with Dawn Weatherwax at Sports Nutrition to Go to have my resting metabolic rate tested (2900 calories per day when I do nothing, over 5000 when training), body fat % measured (11%), sodium in my sweat measured (results pending), lung capacity measured (pretty high!), and my diet completey analyzed. Dawn is going to set up a diet plan for me so that I can better balance my protein intake (its too low) and tweak my lean body composition. If you haven't examined your diet, I highly recommend doing so. I'm very excited about this process.

3. Intervals: Coach Hoyt Halverson at Carmichael Training Systems is always adjusting my intervals and challenging me to push the wattage barrier. Its been a long winter on the trainer with 12-14 hours per week, mainly inside, but I've been right in the zones. Hopefully this will pay off in the spring and summer events.

If you're not updating your training and trying to go beyond your comfort zone, can you really expect better performance year after year?

Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway

2010-02-06T11:29:00.001-05:00

This article was in Hyde Park Living, January and February and also on BikeWorldNews.

Where to Spend Your Money To Gain Speed

2010-01-12T13:59:00.002-05:00

The VeloNews 2010 Buyers Guide had a great article on where your money is best spent when it comes to gaining speed in time trials. Here's a breakdonw in the seconds saved for a 40k time trail:
road jersey and bibs to a skinsuit 134 seconds
upright on regular bars to normal aero bar position 122 seconds
road helmet to aero helmet 67 seconds
normal tuck to improved aero tuck 56 seconds
no shoe covers to shoe covers 30 seconds
standard tt bike round tubes to aero tubing tt bike 17 seconds

This may explain why buying that expensive aero frame didn't make you go any faster.

Three year Cleves Time Trial Summary

2009-09-29T21:41:00.002-04:00

Here are some numbers from the last three years at Cleves:
2007 average speed for all rides, 26.92; best three rides, 27.27 mph
2008 average speed for all rides, 27.04; best three rides, 27.54 mph
2009 average speed for all rides, 27.66 mph; best three rides, 28.24 mph

The average speed included no fewer than 18 rides. My equipment has stayed relatively the same with my HED rear disc (7 years old) and HED tri-spoke (replaced last year due to a crack but the same model as previously used). I did change my frame this year from the HED to a Kuota. My position is always being tweaked here and there but never dramatically. The bike weight this year is about 1 lb lighter than last year. I have changed helmets over the years from Giro to Spiuk to LG. I do know that my wattage last winter and through the spring into summer in my training was consisently higher with my steady states in the 290-315 range for 40 to 60 minutes at a time and my tt efforts during training in the 320 to 340 range. I was holding tempo wattage for 90 minutes in the 270 range. Wattage during tt events is around 350 for shorter 10 mile efforts and in the 330's for 40k's.

One again, I think that consistent training over many years is still paying off. You can only buy so much speed; at some point, you need to put out some power.

Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway

2009-09-27T20:51:00.002-04:00

Along with my brother Tom and friend Dan Waite, I recently spent 5 days riding the Blue Ridge Parkway from its northern start in Waynesboro, VA to it terminus in Cherokee, NC. Starting on Monday, September 21 and ending on Friday September 25, we spent 30 hours and 39 minutes completing the 470 miles and 48,000+ feet of climbing.

To say it was a hilly ride would be a great understatement. I really don't recall more than 5-6 miles of truly flat road the entire way. While riding through Virginia for the first two days, the climbs ranged from short uphills and slight rollers to a 13 mile climb rising than several thousand feet. The sections through Virginia seemed to stay roughly between 2000' and 3800' but also dipped to the lowest point on the parkway at 650'. The landscape was divided between maple forests and rolling farmland. The vistas were filled with scattered mountains that stood among fields and pastures well below the parkway that traveresed the crest of the Blue Ridge.

Once in North Carolina, the landscape changed to almost exclusively that typical of the southern mountains. This included the complete range of forests from maple to beech to oak to fir/spruce. The elevations also increased with many of the gaps now not dropping below 3000' while the road frequently hit 5000' and finally peaked at 6053'. The days had multiple climbs of 5 to 8 miles and elevation gains of 1500' to 2500'. Highlights included Mt. Mitchel, Craggy Mountain, The Black Mountains, Balsam Mountains, Looking Glass Rock, Mt. Pisgah, and Richland Balsam Mountain. There were also many tunnels, all without lights, that made for an interesting riding experience, especially at high speeds.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a part of our National Park system. The road is two lanes and the speed limit is 35-45 mph. There are no stop signs or traffic lights its entire length. It is lightly traveled in most areas but around Roanoke and Asheville it is used by locals to access other roads. Still, traffic was light.

Food and accomodations are easlily found near the start in Waynesboro and finish at Cherokee. In between, Roanoke and Asheville offer big city amenities. The many miles between require careful planning in that there are no billboards along the way announcing stores or shops or hotels. There are guide books and maps available.

I'd have to say that the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the great riding experiences in our part of the country. Whether you ride the entire length ot just spend a day on it, you should make it part of your 2010 riding calendar.

Favorite Indoor Cycling Songs

2009-09-27T16:31:00.002-04:00

I've been teaching an indoor cycling class for two years at the Cincinnati Sports Club as of mid-October. In that time, I've made 80+ different cd's ranging form 45 to 80 minutes using over 1400 different songs. Here are some of my favorite. keep in mind that these are good songs to ride to but not really songs about riding.

Jackon Browne: The Road and The Sky, Running On Empty, Boulevard, Doctor My Eyes, Looking East, The Night Inside Me

Allman Brothers: One Way Out, Revival, Whipping Post, Don't Want You No More, Hoochie Coochie Man, Black Hearted Woman (or just use the album Beginnings for an entire class--I did), Jessica

Little Feat: Let It Roll, Oh Atlanta, Easy to Slip

Santana: Dawn/Go Within-Carnival- Let The Children Play-Jugando (opening songs from the album Moonflower), All I Ever Wanted, She's Not There, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen

Led Zeppelin: Rock and Roll, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown, Stairway to Heaven, Achilles Last Stand, Misty Mountain Hop, Whole Lotta Love

The Who: I can See For Miles, Wont Get Fooled Again, The Real Me, Going Mobile, Squeeze Box

Jethro Tull: Nothing is Easy, Teacher, Living in the Past

Elton John: Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting, Pinball Wizard (by The Who, but I like his better), The Bitch is Back

Lynyrd Skynyrd: That Smell, Saturday Night Special, Freebird, Cal Me The Breeze

Edgar Winter: Frankenstein

Shooting Star: Last Chance, Hang On For Your Life Tonight

Focus: Hocus Pocus

Chicago: Alive Again, Beginnings, Make Me Smile

Stevie Ray Vaugh: Couldn't Stand the Weather, Tax Man

Robin Trower: Day of the Eagle, Too Rolling Stoned

Jeff Healy: Full Circle, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Hell to Pay, I Can't Get My Hands on You, Something to Hold On To

Bob Seeger: Roll Me Away, Hollywood Nights

Beatles: She Loves You, Help, Day Tripper, Get Back, I Feel Fine

Paul McCartney: Jet, Band on the Run

Tom Petty: I Need To Know, An American Girl

U2: New Years Day, Two Hearts Beat As One, Vertigo, Even Better Than the Real Thing, I Will Follow, Where the Streets Have No Names

Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run, Rosalita, Gypsy Biker, Radio Nowhere, Last to Die, Badlands, Candy's Room,

Elvis Costello: Pump It Up, Peace Love and Understanding

The Smithereens: Blues Before and After, Bllod and Roses, Girl Like you

I'll post more as I have tme. I haven't even started on the country songs.

Progress in Your Training May Take Time

2009-08-18T08:09:00.002-04:00

I get many comments, especially from those training for and riding the individual time trial, concerning their frustration with their lack of progress in gaining power and ultimately speed over their given courses. My first question is whether they are using a structured training plan and if so for how long. If they are not using a structured plan (ie, periodized training with micro, macro, and meso cycles along with adequate strength training for their core and upper and lower bodies), I can usually assure them they will see improvement with a plan. If they are already using a plan, and that plan seems to follow typical protocol, then I have to ask what their expectations are for their training and racing. This is usually where the problems start.

I know that we all look at the fastest riders in our city, state, or the nation, and want to ride like those riders. Who wouldn't want to be one of the fastest in the country? I do think that we have then ask ourselves how did those riders achieve that success.

One of my favorite analogies is that of the person who takes up a musical instrument. The people who can sit down at a piano and just start playing are few and far between, and in fact, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who was immediately an accomplished musician. People like Coltrane, Clapton, Mozart, and so on all spent considerable time (we're talking years, and decades) practicing and honing their skills. The one theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. This would be five years working full-time at your hobby. Coltrane went into seclusion for two years, and emerged with a style that no one had ever heard, and many didn't understand. Today he is considered a genius.

Have you ever heard how many hours the great cyclists put in? There is a very similar pattern here: things take time, so keep working, and be patient. Even though you have been riding for years, you may find your ability to master a new skill within cycling somewhat frustrating because you feel that you have already invested so much time. The difference is that it hasn't been time in the new discipline which requires the use of a mix of energy systems that may have not been using.

So what is the solution? I'd recommend that you stick to your plan and give it time. You can get stronger on the bike well into your 50's so don't give up. I'd also recommend tracking your progress especially on local courses like Cleves. Compare your average times from the last few years and compare your three fastest times from the last several years. The overall comparision will have even the bad nights. I'd still want to see a gradual improvement from one year to the next. When I compare my three best, I want to see even more improvement. There should be a handful of times each season that everything comes together. This is where I want to see some gains.

Keep in mind that at Cleves I went several years without a PR. That didn't discourage me, too much. If anything it made me think about my training and equipment and position on the bike and nutrition and all of the other factors that have an effect on my results. Good things never come easy or quickly so be patient.

Can't Ride the Peak Wave Forever

2009-07-29T07:03:00.002-04:00

Just when you're starting to ride a string of fast times and a set new PR, you get one night that pushes you back. So why would I ride over 30 seconds slower last night than the week before? First, there was a pretty decent head wind on the first half that didn't really seem to pay off on nice tailwind on the second half. It could also be the case that I just wasn't strong enough to take advantage of the tailwind. In the last month, I've ridden the state tt, nationals, almost every Cleves event, all the while averaging about 275 miles per weeek. Eventually, we all just get tired. I'd like to say that not having anyone to chase (I went off alone at 5:45) would be a reason but it really shouldn't matter. I'm ideally riding as hard as possible regardless of who's in front of me.

If I had to pinpiont one area that has been a problem in the last week it has been rest. While I'm taking the required days off the bike, I'm also finding that going to bed at 11:00 and getting up at 5:30 just isn't enough sleep. While on vacation from July 9-17, I averaged about 50 miles per day but also avergaged about 9 hours sleep each night. A recent study showed that athletes who get ten hours per night perform substantially better than those who average 8. Averaging under 7 just isn't going to cut it.

The great thing about Cleves is that we can come back the next week and do it again. I do want to thank Brian and Lisa for letting me go off early so I could make it to the Jackson Browne concert. You're the best!!

Cleves Time Trial: Why So Fast This Year?

2009-07-26T21:03:00.002-04:00

I have had a number of people ask me why my times at Cleves have been so fast this year. My PR through last year was a 22:05 and my average time was around 22:35 or so. I had 2 or 3 nights in 2008 with time in the 23:00 to 23:15 range. So far in 2009, my slowest time is around 22:45 and I have three times in the 21's with a 21:48, 21:53 and recently a 21:34, the second fastest time ever. Here are some changes I made for 2009:

switched from 700x20 tires at 140psi to 700x23 Bontrager Aero TT tires at 120 psi
switched from an aluminum/carbon frame to all carbon
moved my saddle back about 2 cm beyond the 5cm set back requirement, but still ride on the tip of the saddle, sometimes;
lowered my bars just slightly (1/8")
brought my elbows as close together as possible with my hands now touching at the end of the bars
tried a couple different helmets starting with the Spiuk and now using a LG Rocket TT (I have to thank Frances Manfred for the previous three)
increased my power during training by about 2-3% in my steady state and tempo efforts; I think this is simply many years of training coming together, with the indoor winter work playing a key role
set my mph goal at Cleves at 28 mph; I used to try for 27 to 27.5; raising the goal is probably been the most important aspect of my increased speed; once I realized I could ride that fast, I've been able to repeat it
started using the Ultimate Cyclist self-hypnosis cd; check it out---it can't hurt; its a great way to relax and get motivated about your training and racing; weekly time trials can take it out of you as much mentally as physically; we tend to ingore the mental training; I was skeptical at first but I listen to this once or twice per week
started using my time in the gym for true strength training; this means low reps (8-12) using 75% of my one rep max; I also stopped using most of the machines and opt for free weights, plyometrics, and a few very key core exercizes; your speed and endurance come on the bike; strength comes in the gym; I gained strength, and lost 5 lbs
sleep: I'm getting more, and making this as important as riding in my schedule
having fun: I'll be the first to admit that I get tired of the training and racing; the cd has helped me keep my focus on why I ride, and thats to have fun; when its not fun I'll be finished, and I'm not ready to quite anytime soon

I hope this helps you reach a new PR.

Nationals Thoughts

2009-07-02T08:43:00.002-04:00

Master Nationals Time Trial 2009
The 2009 Masters Nationals Time Trial, held in Taylorsville, KY, was my 8th time participating in this USA Cycling championship event. Oddly enough my best placing was the very first year I rode it in 1997 where I took 14th place in the 40k with time of around 56:40 or 26.3 mph. My fastest avg mph was in Spokane ,WA where I rode at over 28 mph but finished 25th. My worst placing was 36th in Seven Springs, PA where we rode in the rain on a course with 50 mph descents and 14 mph ascents. I've been 17th and 18th a couple times and finished 21st this year with a time of 32:25 or 27.3 mph. My finish time each year usually puts me in the top 50% of riders in my bracket.

You may wonder, as I do sometimes, why I keep going back when I'm not really in the running for the medals given to the top 5 spots. I guess the main reason is to simply participate and to walk away knowing that while I'm not going to be invited to the world championship that I'm at least still competitive within my age bracket. I think that as you get older (I'm 47) that you tend to have a greater appreciation for the continuing commitment to fitness that is needed to keep riding local, state and national events and to still ride them fast. To actually ride faster each year, even just a little bit, is a motivating factor in my desire to keep going to these events. I never take my fitness for granted, and I don't plan on backing down any time soon from my regimen. I just told my coach that if I don't get any slower, and maybe even get faster over the next ten years like I have over the previous ten, that a top 5 finish may just happen. Sounds like I'm already talking myself into another long winter in the basement on the trainer hammering out intervals.

A great part about riding nationals is being able to compare yourself to other riders from around the country not only in your bracket but also those below and above you. In the men's 30-34, the winner this year rode the course in 29:20. He's also a recent world time trial champion. Its a big three minutes between his time and mine, but at least I know where I stand. If you take my time up the brackets, I'd be 8th in the 50-54 and 3rd in the 55-59. Remarkably in the 60-64 I'd only get 2nd with the winner beating me by 39 seconds. Essentially I can't get any slower over the next 15 years and I have to hope that most of the faster riders decide that they have enough national jerseys and medals. If it all plays out the way I hope maybe someday I'll actually have to wait around for the medal ceremony, someday.

I always mention in my time trial clinics and spinning and circuit training classes that the only reason we lose fitness as we age is that we stop challenging ourselves. In some cases, we stop training all together. If you want to see what a 60+ year old person is capable of, check the results for Masters Nationals. At some point, you make a commitment to staying active and pushing yourself to new levels of fitness or you decide that watching television is all that life has to offer. I'll take finishing in the middle of the pack in a national event anytime.

State Time Trial

2009-06-24T08:54:00.002-04:00

I'll be posting some comments on the state time trial in the next few days.

Have You Ever Wondered Why...

2009-06-05T10:16:00.001-04:00

....some nights are faster, and some slower at Cleves?