The Suitcase of Courage

Cape Cod Training Camp(?)

Strange - I'm beginning this post the same way I ended the last post.  But believe it or not, this is a totally different picture of a different day.  Yes, there have been only TWO snow days so far this year, and I got a pic of each of them.

This picture is more special though since it was shot on the morning of our trip to Chatham, MA out on the "elbow" of Cape Cod.  I'd promised Mrs. Suitcase a little 3 day weekend away for her birthday and - bonus! - I got to take my bike.  But seeing this snow shocker when we woke up prompted me to get a trainer ride in before we left.

Good thing - all the way up that Friday it was snowy and rainy.  Just as well - I'd gotten my workout in and could take the rest of the day off to read & nap at the B&B.

The next day was cold but sunny.  And - as I was to find out - VERY windy.  The Mrs. had plans for the afternoon and I took advantage of the time to get out for a ride.  This is the shot of the bike at the B&B - "B&B&B" as Velomonkey pointed out.

I rode west into the wind toward Harwich on the Chatham branch of the CCRT (Cape Cod Rail Trail), averaging a bit over 14 mph for a lot of effort.  But as I turned at the Harwich rotary (yes, even rail trails in Massachusetts have rotaries) and headed northeast to Orleans, I had mostly a tailwind.

Nice.

After a stop and a chat with Jahn at Idle Times Bike Shop, I headed back south along Rt. 28 to Chatham.  Despite the cold and wind, the scene above was MUCH nicer than the scene last time I rode here:

(taken from SDC's helmet cam/blog) 

Well, that was summer time (more crowded) and, um, northbound.

Anyway, I had no incidents this time and was happy to get the pretty pic along Little Pleasant Bay.

I was even happier to get back to the Mrs and enjoy reading by the fire back at the B&B.  I'd only ridden 32 miles, but it was a nice triangle route and - given the wind - was enough of a workout for the day.  Click here for the route map and details.

We had to check out the next morning, so I needed to get up extra early if I wanted to get one more ride in.  Which I did.  But it was a LOT colder and - unbelieveably - even MORE windy than the previous day.  I only rode 12.5 miles and was out about an hour, but I got to explore a lot of the local roads and side streets in Chatham and got some great pics.  The one above is of the lighthouse - well, one of the lighthouses.  As I discovered later, like Old Saybrook, Chatham has two of them.

This is down by the Chatham Fish Market.  Many of the boats were already gone fishin', but these pleasure craft were still bobbing around with the sunrise.

Another shot up the beach a ways.  The wind was so strong here I almost got blown over while I was trying to aim the camera.

I'd seen the "other" lighthouse in the distance during my ride the previous day, but wanted to be sure and go back with a decent camera to capture it.

I'm not quite sure how you get out there - the land wasn't connected from what I could see - but it certainly looks lonely, and a bit romantic, sitting out there so exposed to the elements.

I was feeling pretty exposed to the elements myself by that point, and it was getting near time for the the non-bed "B" part of the B&B.  Two Eggs Benedict and a few muffins & coffee later and I was ready to get us all packed up and back on the road to home.

I hadn't meant for our weekend getaway to evolve into a 2 day training camp, but I can never seem to go to Cape Cod and not take my bike - no matter what the weather.  And despite the temperature and "breeze" the sun certainly made for some nice rides - my 3rd and 4th rides outside of the year(!)

But it's back to the trainer this week, in preparation for Six Sundays in Purgatory the Bethel Spring Series this coming Sunday.  Despite my recent rides, I don't have the miles in my legs I'd hoped to by now, but racing with the guys is always a blast no matter what my condition.  If nothing else, at least I'll get some good blog fodder and you should see more frequent posts here in the coming weeks.

And even my license came in the mail on Monday - just in time.  So I've got no excuses, ready or not.  How about you?  Hope to see some of you out there!

Rest Day Writing

 

January is the month of New Year's Resolutions and many of us promise ourselves to be better, do better, live better.  We want to lose weight, get fit - both financially & physically - do more of what we enjoy.  But as the days and weeks go by and the new year isn't so "new" anymore, we discover that the success or failure of our good intentions often depends on our time and motivation.  No time after work to exercise?  Are you motivated to wake up earlier to workout before work?

 

I'm lucky in that I have plenty of motivation for exercise - I can't let down my teammates.  And I make the time for it, especially this time of year, because my first race is March 4(!).  But I'm much less successful finding time and motivation to write posts for this blog - especially when there's no racing to write about.  Finding time and motivation for our resolutions is critical - but sometimes a solution is staring you right in the face.

 

Enter "Rest Day Writing"

 

I've posted before about the 12 step week program I follow for winter training.  It's a series of varied trainer workouts which is ideal given the vagaries of New England weather and, if I start on time, it takes me from the first Monday of the New Year right into the heart of the Bethel Spring Race Series.  It's a periodized training schedule and always includes at least one rest day per week - Monday.  Since my workouts are usually after work, Monday evening includes a time slot when I'd normally be on the trainer, but ain't (sic).  So I just discovered the perfect time to wash my cycling clothes and memorialize (even if only for my own benefit) my training/life from the previous week.  So while these posts may not always be terribly exciting, I hope at least that they'll be more regular and help me meet my New Year's Resolution to "Write More for my Blog."

 

In that spirit, I'll bring us up to speed.  I just finished my first month of training and it's had its ups and downs, but - fortunately - mostly ups.  After my first workout - which is supposed to be "easy" I just about passed out.  Yes, I know - pathetic.  I even skipped the REAL "first workout" which was supposed to be a "Threshold Estimator".  I've never been quite able to figure out how hard "hard" is.  Which comes first - the threshold number at which you're supposed to ride, or the ride during which you're supposed to estimate your threshold number?  It started to make my head hurt, so I decided to do the first - "easy" - workout.  And promptly bonked at the end.

I was beginning to think I had my work more than cut out for me for 2012.

Added to that, part way through my second week of training, I had a bad reaction to some antibiotics and ended up in the ER.  Fortunately, I wasn't there for long and just had to wait for my system to clear out, but I ended up having to repeat that second week.

But since then, things have been going much more smoothly.  My weight isn't coming down as quickly as I'd hoped at all, but at least I'm starting to feel better on the bike.  And I did my first threshold test on Saturday, completing my first training cycle.  The first test of the season is always the toughest, especially mentally.  I always psych myself up wondering whether I'll be able to do it again this time.  Thankfully, I was and did.  My threshold HR is actually up a couple beats from this time last year, but I'll have to do a little research to figure out whether that's good or bad.

Main thing is, I'm 1/3 of the way through my winter training.  My first race is under a month away and I'm getting my miles in.  Mostly indoors.  339 for the year so far.  And I got 40 of those miles in yesterday during my first outdoor ride since Thanksgiving weekend(!)  The days are even getting longer.  Go figure.

I know it happens like this every year, but each year I get older I'm a little more surprised when things start coming around.  Each year, that seems to happen just a wee bit later than the year before.  Maybe I shouldn't lay off the bike for so long around the holidays.  Thankfully, I have a whole wonderful year of riding and racing to look forward to before I have to decide that.

How are your resolutions going?  Finding it tough to get on the bike, whether indoors or out?  Spring will be here before you know it, so think creatively about how you can shoehorn in a little extra time and motivation.  Like rest day writing, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

New Year, New - um - Me(?)

"New Year, New You" is a title you see everywhere right now.  Unfortunately, it's ubiquity is easily surpassed by its deceit.  Too few of us truly recreate ourselves, despite the new year.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.  Discouragement is the enemy.  Persistence does in fact pay off.  If you don't believe me, then watch this blog in the coming days and weeks.

Cycling & blogging-wise, I've fallen off the wagon these past few months.  As I just mentioned to a coach/friend, my off season is truly & absolutely "off."  My butt hasn't been on the saddle since Thanksgiving weekend.  In fact, this is my odometer as I type (on my "analog" training log):

 

Look familiar?  Yeah, just 16 miles more than the pic in my last post from December 6.  I didn't know that "20,000 mile" ride would be my last of 2011, but even so I rode a total of 4,465.23 miles last year - right about where I usually am.  I don't want to think of how many more miles I could have ridden, especially with the unseasonably mild December weather we had.

Ah well, at least I can honestly say that I think the time off has done me good.  I'm REALLY itching to get back on the bike.  And just in time - training starts tomorrow.  Here's my bike tonight - changing out the wheels to my trainer wheels.

Whether the time off has in fact done me good won't be known until my racing season starts - less than 9 weeks from now, in  Bethel, CT, first Sunday in March.

But I have more than my usual racing season motivation this year.  I always want to do well - or at least be able to hang in with the pack.  Racing's certainly more fun that way.  This year though, we are going to have an absolutely AWESOME Cat 3 team.  I'm not giving away any secrets - just stating a fact.  That's not to say that we're going to get great results (though hopefully those will come too), but the guys we've put together for 2012 are going to be an absolute blast to race with and work for.

To be able to do that though, I have to get my butt off the couch and back on the bike.  And with the start of winter training, I'll be updating this blog much more often.  So be sure to check in here when you can - and drop a comment if you're able.   The New Year may not mean a "new" me, but with your encouragement it should at least mean an "improved" me.

Starting Training:The Chicken & The Egg

As I mentioned in my last post, I started training for 2010 last week.  The 12 week training plan I'm using ("Workouts in a Binder" - which I reviewed here) starts with a "Threshold Estimator 30 min Time Trial."  You see, before you start training (and assuming you're training using a heart rate monitor), you need to set your heart rate zones.  Those zones are calculated from your heart rate at threshold (how fast your heart is beating when your body starts producing more lactic acid than it can handle).

So the first thing you need to do is determine your lactic threshold heart rate (LTHR).  The "Threshold Estimator 30 min Time Trial" is a test you can do to - you guessed it - estimate your LTHR.  I've done this test once before (which you can read about in detail here), but here's the skinny:

Warmup for 20 minutes, gradually raising the intensity and keeping your cadence high (90+) for the first 15 mins.  Then do 3-5 hard efforts for 30-60 secs each.  Rest for 5 minutes, then start the test.

The test itself is a 30 minute time trial.  "Go as hard as you can for 30 minutes."  Start your HRM and then, 10 minutes into the TT, hit the "lap" button.  That way you'll have a figure for your average heart rate over the last 20 minutes of the TT.  That avg HR number is supposed to be your approximate LTHR.

Now here's the question: How hard is "as hard as you can"?  It's essentially a pacing question.  If you knew your LTHR already, the answer is easy: the proper pace is to ride at your LTHR.  But this is a "threshold estimator" test and assumes you don't know what your LTHR is yet.

So when it comes to knowing how to properly pace yourself, what comes first? The LTHR value or the test to determine it?

Being the OCD person I am (not usually comfortable with doing things by "feel" or intuition - that "perceived exertion" scale drives me to a breakdown), I had my LTHR determined in a lab.  You can read about that experience here, but essentially you ride an indoor trainer to exhaustion while having blood samples taken.  The result: My LTHR (at least as of February 2009) is 162 bpm.  So I did this "Threshold Estimator" test kinda knowing the answer already - I rode it at "around" 162 bpm.

Funny thing is, I know I could have gone at least a little harder.  I used 162 as a floor - I was often above that - and the "result" of my estimator test determined my LTHR to be 164 bpm (the average HR of the last 20 min of the 30 min TT).  Could it have been higher?  It would have been had I gone harder.  Would I have been able to sustain that harder effort?  Would I want to have to sustain that harder effort?

All interesting questions - at least to me.  Should be interesting to you too, especially if you'd like to try this estimator test yourself, either because you can't get to a lab or don't want to have to pay for a test.

For now, despite my result, I'm going to keep my HR zones the same - set around a LTHR of 162.  I think this estimator test is best for tracking your improvement over time, and for that it's most helpful.  You just need to be sure your test conditions are as similar as possible.  In other words, I'll do the next test (in a few weeks) at the same pace, keeping my HR above - but not too far above - 162 and see where my average speed/total distance ends up.  If I keep all other variables the same, those values should be the only ones that change.  If they increase, I know my training is working.

Do you do any type of self testing?  How do you gauge improvement over time?  It'd be interesting to hear about alternative methods.  Maybe one of them will solve that chicken/egg dilemma for me. . .

Happy New Year!

No, you didn't sleep through Christmas.  Maybe it would be more accurate to say "Happy New Training Year."  You see, for the first time since I started racing, I've started my training a month early - literally Dec. 1.  Apparently I'm on good ground since I recently heard a talk by a local training guru that "training for early-season races should start around the end of November/beginning of December."  And the Bethel Spring Series starts March 7 - just 3 short months away - and I have a 12 week (3 month) training plan.

So a December 1 start makes perfect sense.  And it may even keep me from overdoing it at all the dessert tables this holiday season.

Hmmm... based on last Sunday's team party, probably not.  (Thanks to Dennis and Laura)

Update

Since the last time I posted, I've had an MRI on my shoulder which showed the shoulder blade healing fine, but revealed a small tear in the rotator cuff.  No surgery needed, but I'm going to be sore for a while.

I got on the trainer after the MRI and realized how quickly - um - butt conditioning disappears.  It felt like I'd never used a road saddle before.  That will take some getting used to.

Best of all though, I got outside on the bike twice since the MRI.  First time was on my MTB (wider tires, larger contact patches, more confidence since my crash) - which was a rude awakening, especially going uphill (it weighs a ton).  But a few days later I got the road bike out and did the same loop I did the night of my crash - including The Corner, which I must admit I took very gingerly.  But at least I completed the loop this time!  And going uphill was MUCH better (amazing what dropping 10 pounds off your bike will do for your climbing).

Picked up team kit for 2010 already.  More on that in a future post . . .

Ate too much during Thanksgiving.  Still about 5-10 lbs over racing weight, but considering my sweet tooth and appetite, it could be much, much worse.

OH! And despite my injury and lack of motivation, I broke 4000 miles already for the year!  After hitting 4000 for the first time last year (requiring my longest trainer ride ever on New Year's Eve), I'd hoped to do 5000 this year.  While I have a few weeks left in 2009 I doubt I'll hit that goal, but at least I'm improving over last year.

So, that's what I've been up to cycling-wise.  Of course, like all of you I'm sure, there is a TON of non-cycling stuff I've been doing.  "'Tis the season," after all.  I do hope to start posting again more regularly.  Checking my last few posts, I'm averaging less than 2x/month.  That'll change now that I have more cycling/training related stuff to share.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and that visions of great bike stuff are dancing in your head in anticipation of Christmas!

Till later . . .

Record Week (Not)

 

"Record" in that it was a record week mileage-wise for LEAST number of miles ridden in a week since the beginning of the year:

Less than 31.5 miles for the whole week.

And I did them all today - at the Connecticut Coast Criterium in Bethel, CT.

Of course, that includes warmup and cooldown.  Has to.

Work got the best of me this past week.  About 80 hrs worth left no time for riding.  It was a great week to leave my bike at the shop to address some creaking, but I didn't even test ride it until I was warming up at the race (creaking's worse btw. very frustrating).

Wasn't expecting much of this race given the sleep deprivation and lack of preparation.  So why'd I bother?  Well, the wags would say that my Scotch background got the best of me (I was pre-registered).  And it was an absolutely picture perfect day.

But the real reason was the reason I've been racing at all lately - the chance to spend time with good friends during and afterwards.

Now that my busy time at work is over (for now anyway), I'm looking forward to getting back into a better training routine - starting with my first East Hartford crits this Tuesday.  And I plan to start getting more sleep and miles in, so I can quit blaming my results on my lack of preparation.

So how's today's race go?  Stay tuned for a full report with pics/video tomorrow.

For now, I gotta go to bed . . . 

Two Weeks Before Hartford: Not quite the "Build" I'd planned

I have a little over one week left before my next race - the Hartford Criterium.  Not only is this my first "official" race of the season, it was my first official race ever.  I can see the course from my office, taunting me, especially during this, our busiest time of the year at work.  And, last year had some drama from which I need to recover.  So it is - at least for me - a priority.

Problem is, since it is my busy time of year, I can't get on the bike much and the weather lately has been lousy when I've actually had the time to ride.

Once I finished whining, it was time to Man Up and develop a workable plan for the final two weeks before the race.  Since I had ridden so little lately, I treated that period as a "mini-recovery" period, designated this past week as a "build/peak" week (when I'd ride my brains out), and planned next week as a "taper/rest" week.  The race is next Sunday, so I figured this'd give me my best chance to be as ready as possible under the circumstances.

My "build/peak" week started perfectly this past Monday.  There's nothing like riding into work to get miles in (my commute's over 40mi ea way) and Monday was a beautiful day.  And as things turned out, on the way home I had some unexpected climbing.  But I'll reserve THAT story for another post.

Suffice it to say that by the time I got home Monday evening, I was hungry.  In fact, I don't remember EVER being as hungry as I was Monday evening.  No problem: We had had our families over the previous day for Mother's Day and there were lots of leftovers in our 'fridge.

Well, no more.  I ate them.  ALL of them.  I'm talkin' 3 pieces of chicken, 2 bowls of salad, 3 rolls, 1 pint of potato salad, bowl of ambrosia, bowl of jello and - of course - dessert (WONDERFUL cake by Mrs. SDC leftover from their weekend visit).  And I was still hungry before I went to bed, so I had 2 bowls of cereal.

Then I went into 3 days of legislative session.  Session means long days, late nights, lots of food and no time to ride.  Tuesday Night's Crit was canceled, and I didn't get out of work in time for the Wednesday Group Ride.  Consequently, after starting the "Build/Peak" week so well, I haven't been on the bike at all since Monday.  Lots of eating and no riding.

But I still accomplished a, ahem, "build":

 

No, that's not a graph of my miles.  Let's just say I hope I've "peaked."

But all is not lost.  I plan to do tomorrow morning's group ride and get out sometime Sunday.  If the Sunday forecast doesn't improve, I'll be back on the trainer.  And Monday looks like another beautiful day.  If we're not in session, I'll ride my bike into work again then.

I'll be in session the rest of the week though, but if I can avoid all the food - and not eat too much during the wedding we're going to next Saturday - I should be ok for next Sunday's race.

After all, I do this for fun - right? - and our planned after-race picnic this year will be MUCH more fun than last year's ambulance trip to the hospital.

I just hope it doesn't provide TOO much "build" for my next race....

Zone 1 Ride

I've gone through a strange metamorphosis the past few hours.  Here in southern New England, the weather is finally starting to feel a little spring-like.  But, typical of the region, how it feels outside depends on where you are.

"Inland," where I work, it felt almost balmy when I left the office.  And the forecast for tomorrow is a high of 71 - first time over 70 this year.  I mentioned that to a colleague who then (knowing my cycling proclivities) said: "Oh, then you should ride your bike in tomorrow."

That, of course, got me thinking.  Why not?  I've certainly done it before and it would be great to get some miles in.  On the other hand, I have a race on Saturday - as it turns out, probably the final race for a bit so I'd like to do well.

Either way, after Tuesday night's Tempo Ride and last night's group ride throwdown, I had a Zone 1 ride on the menu for tonight.  Perfect for considering the age-old question:

Do I ride to race, or do I race to ride?

I like the idea of riding in tomorrow - it's certainly going to be a nice-enough day.  But 80 miles (40 ea. way), when the most I've done this year is 50 (3 months ago), may be a little much the day before a race.  But if my racing goal this year is to learn and not necessarily place, then seeing what I could do (or not do) in a race after exhausting my legs the previous day would certainly be interesting.  And of course it would be nice to "just ride."

But there's another consideration: My team is currently standing third in this series and Saturday is the last race of the series.  Our team leader has done an great job of getting points there while I've been concentrating on the Bethel series.  He'll be racing Battenkill Saturday, so he needs somebody to defend what he's done if possible.

That's another big reason for racing Plainville this Saturday.  And - as I thought while on my ride tonight - a very good reason for not riding so much tomorrow.  There'll be plenty of time to do that.  After Saturday.

Zone 1 rides are good for that kind of thinking.  Instead of concentrating on intervals, or obsessing over your heartrate or power output, you can just enjoy the act of riding a bike and seeing the scenery.  And as you can hopefully tell from the phone pics, it was a beautiful night to ride.

Ah, what's a Zone 1 ride you ask?  Well, for me - tonight - it meant small chainring and HR below 120 bpm (except when I went up over the RR overpass when it got to, maybe, 125).  Very contemplative, to say the least.

Took me almost an hour to go 12 miles.  If "you have to go slow to go fast," I should be in fine shape for Saturday.

Good thing this is a public road . . .

Cycling Fun Friday:Group Riding

So how many of you have a group ride planned this weekend?

How many of you think you know the "rules" of group riding?

How many of you - other than me - didn't even know there were rules?

While most relevant to team training rides, this article provides some useful tips for keeping your group rides safe.  You may not be interested in riding like a pro racer, but the fact that Rule #1 is that "It's not a race" shows that these rules will help keep your rides fun too.

 

 

Cycling Fun Friday:New Team! & Fun with Heart Rates

 

photo courtesy capitalveloclub.com

Well, I can check off yet another goal for 2009:

I've joined a new team!

This season, I'll be racing with the Capital Velo Club, Presented by Subaru of New England. ("CVC/Subaru of New England" on BikeReg).  I've been a fan of CVC for a long time.  My first-ever race was at their Tuesday Night Crit way back in May 2006 and I've enjoyed Tuesday nights every summer since.  It was about time I officially joined them so I could help out a little and give something back.

And I just signed up for my first race - Bethel March 1 Cat3/4.  If you'll be there, be sure to say hey!

Since I have the first two items checked off my 2009 Goals already, I plan this Sunday to work on another goal: "Learn more about bike maintenance and repair."  I've already changed all my cassettes, got my new wheels ready, replaced the chain & chainrings and, with help from SDC, changed my levers and cables.  This weekend I'll finish getting my bike race-ready by replacing the rear derailleur (going from a beat-up long cage one to an upgraded short cage one), adding a new saddle, and bar tape.

I'll post a pic when it's all done.  It's already looking pretty cool, if I don't say so myself.

In other news, I just completed the Chris Sidwells program (reviewed here) and did another bike test this past Wednesday.  This one was VERY different on a lot of levels (not too bright since such tests should be as comparable as possible). Like the others, it was a 3 mile Threshold Time Trial.  But it was on the road (first time out with my new wheels!) and I'm not sure what "Threshold" means anymore.

Eh?

Here's my confusion:  Ever since taking my Lactate Threshold Test last week, my heart rate training zones changed.  My max HR wasn't tested, so I'm still using 190 as my max, based on the VO2 max test I did 2 yrs ago.  That 2 yr old test also determined my "Anaerobic Threshold" (AT) at 171bpm.  That's the level at which I've done all my Threshold Time Trials since then.  But last week, I was only able to get to 178bpm max and my Lactate Threshold was put at 162bpm.

So the Big Question is: "What HR do I use for these 'Threshold' Time Trials?"

I did Wednesday's test like always - at around 171bpm.  But, according to the new HR zones I got, that's well within Zone 5 - far above what should be a time trial effort.  And, yes, it was hard but doable and I've done it at that level many times before - once for 30 minutes(!)

30 minutes in Zone 5?  That can't be right . . .

FWIW, under my old zones, Zone 5 started at 180 bpm and I seldom ever got there (except in a final sprint).  Forget about anaerobic intervals, I could never get my HR that high for any real length of time.

I need to figure this out soon since, now that I'm done with Sidwells, I'm considering other training programs.  Most of them have you train at a percentage of your MaxHR.  Since I'm assuming my MaxHR hasn't changed (is that a safe assumption?), the effort required will be familiar.

However, some of the programs are based on "threshold heart rate" which I assume means "Lactate Threshold" which - according to last week's lab test - is 162 bpm, about 10 beats lower than what I've been using.  So "Threshold Time Trials" would be done 10 beats easier.  I'd therefore be much slower, and the resulting test wouldn't be comparable to all my others.

If it wasn't patently obvious before, it sure is now - I'm not a coach.  And unfortunately, it looks like I know just enough about this stuff to make me dangerous - perhaps literally - to myself (if not others).

Can any of you out there help clear up my confusion?