Monday, November 30, 2009

17 weeks to go

Yep, sure is.

Now I have both of my main bikes each near permanently attached to it's own trainer. I've been swapping days to mix it up and keep any saddle sores at bay since my saddles are vastly different from each other.

The actual time on the trainer is still being kept low and I'm trying to continue to push the intensity for the short duration. Typically, I ride between 45-60 minutes a day. Realistically, this is the best thing as I am all but done with road racing. I just don't have the time to train for that sort of thing anymore. Good thing there are plenty of time trials in Ohio! Things can change, but right now I have completely lost interest in road riding in general (as in training for road races). I anticipate that in 2010 I will have much less miles than usual, but I guarantee them to be faster than ever.

The lack of road racing (and associated race fees) will free up some money for much needed (wanted) upgrades for my time trial bike. Damn right.

Monday, November 23, 2009

18 weeks to go

The power is slowly creeping up as far as 15 minute average power is concerned.
SST, where two weeks ago was impossible to hold for very long, is becoming "easier". Note, I am referring to my old SST wattage, not a calculation of my current FTP which is obscenely low.
Both of my bikes are side by side in the basement on separate trainers so I can move from one to the other daily.
Weight loss was ok until this past weekend. Rack of Ribs. Oops. Making up for that until Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Training update

19.5 weeks until the first race of 2010.

I'm keeping that at the front of my mind as I slowly build up my tolerance for threshold riding. Yesterday started week three of training and I've been on a schedule of 6 days on and one day off. Unfortunately, I missed all the nice weather we had over the weekend with only some time to hit the trainer either early in the morning or late in the evening.

The basics are:
1. Get used to being on a bike again. Also, getting used to the aero position again.
2. Slowly introduce short intervals and progress in time, but not necessarily wattage.
3. Once I can successfully hit a 15 interval at the wattage I want, up the wattage requirement and start over.

I'm at #2 right now. Yesterday had 3~5 minute intervals at perceived exertion with a towel covering my PowerTap. This gives me an idea on what I can (Un) comfortably handle without regard of power. Yes, it was low, but I'm aiming for a March 28th season opener. I want a slow build up to avoid burnout and avoid being a Christmas Champion. 2010 is going to be a long season even with the later start than normal and I want to keep rolling late in the year.

Over the next many many many weeks, I'll keep gradually building time vs watts to get where I need to go. With 19.5 weeks until the season opener, I'm trying to lose 19.5 more pounds by then.