The Suitcase of Courage

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?

Motivation Monday:Lactate Threshold Test

Ok, let's be honest.  Most of us don't study unless we have a test coming up.  Even the most disciplined will admit at least to studying harder for a test.

It's the same in training.  You're more likely to get your butt on the trainer when you know your progress is going to be tested.  For most of us, that "test" is being able to hang in with the weekly group ride.  For others, it's being able to complete - or do well - in a race.  For me, it's been knowing that I needed to figure out whether my Heart Rate (HR) zones have changed.

If you're training, one of the first things you should do is figure out what your HR zones are.  How do you do that?  You gotta take a test.

Now, you could do a field test.  The one Chris Carmichael (CTS) has you do is pretty good and one I've used before.  Most, if not all, prepackaged training books/programs have something similar.  They're good to give you a rough idea of where you are.  But if you want real accuracy, it's best to go to a training center.

The first formal test I ever took was at TargetTraining in Westport, CT back in March, 2007.  It was a VO2 max test and it was brutal.  Indoor trainer, consistent ramp-up of intensity.  No fan or water allowed (you have to wear a mask).  I did pretty well though, I thought, for having only one season of racing under my belt.  My threshold HR (THR) was determined to be 171bpm and I produced 290 watts at that level.  My max HR (MHR) was 190bpm and I did 360 watts at that point.  That was at the end of the 20 minute test.

I was pretty happy with those results.  My HR zones were calculated based on my MHR and THR - 5 zones that I could use for training with any training program/book I wanted.  They were about 10-12 bpms higher than the zones I'd been using (based on a self-test), but at least these were "scientific."

Having an opportunity to have another test done, and figuring - having turned 40 recently - my HR zones may have changed, I scheduled a Lactate Threshold test at CCNS in Middletown, CT.

As I understand it (I'm no coach or physiologist), our muscles produce lactic acid as a byproduct of effort.  The harder we pedal, the more lactic acid our muscles produce.  Our bodies have a natural system by which it flushes this byproduct, but at some point we are working harder than our bodies can handle.  That point is called the Lactate Threshold (LT) and knowing where that point is for your particular body is key in determining your training zones and how easy/hard you should be training.

The LT test itself was similar to the VO2 max test, but without the mask.  I could have a fan and water (though I forgot to bring my bottles) and just used my bike on the CompuTrainer provided.  After a 15 min. warmup, the resistance is increased by 50 watts every 3 minutes and increases until you're working so hard you have to stop pedaling.  Periodically, the coach takes a blood sample and measures the amount of lactic acid your body is producing.  When you're body's removal system is overwhelmed, you can't pedal any more.  Test over.

Like most tests, it wasn't fun.

So how'd I do?  Well, it's a mixed bag.  Since these types of tests REQUIRE you to fail at some point, you seldom feel like you did well.  I was tired going into it, having only gotten about 5hrs sleep, but was told that shouldn't affect the outcome.

The bad news was that it looks like my power output has degenerated a little.  Granted, comparing my 2yr old VO2 test to this recent LT test may be comparing apples & oranges, and it IS the "off season," but my power's down about 10 watts.  I only made it to 178 bpm (though I'd just maintained 174-176bpm for 10 minutes during a recent self-test) - I just couldn't get to my max of 190.

My THR came down about 10 bpm from 171 to 162.  Power at threshold reduced from 290 watts to 265.  But, interestingly, power at 178bpm increased from 320 watts to 350 watts, my max watts for the test.  2 yrs ago, my test max wattage was 360.

And a number I never had before - Power to Weight Ratio (LT watts/Kg) - is 3.29.  I need to lose some more weight AND increase my power(!)

Other than relative "restedness," and the fact that the two tests measured different things, the difference in resistance increments may explain some of the change.  The resistance during my VO2 test was increased in 2 min increments and the LT test was done in 3 min increments.  Being tired to begin with, I wonder whether having to push for so long wore me out earlier.  I dunno.

Bottom line - and some good news: I know what training zones I need to use, and they've come down by about 10bpm.  Interestingly, these new zones are pretty close to the zones I had before taking my VO2 test.  That's good news since I'll certainly find training easier (or at least less difficult) now.

So for now, it looks like I have a LOT of aerobic training to do - at sub 135bpm, I'm going to be pretty slow out there.

Oh, I just discovered - My report included Lance Armstrong's numbers for comparison (as IF!).  Here's how he stacks up:

• LT Wattage (power at threshold): 493 watts
• LT HR: 178
• LT watts/Kg (power/weight ratio): 6.75
• Max watts for test: 600

If you'd like, let me know if you've had any testing done and what your experience was.  Hopefully it'll be a fun journey of discovery and not just the blind leading the blind!

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In "Other News" and from the "Should Pay Closer Attention" department:

2.41 miles

That's all I needed to hit 400 miles for my YTD mileage (check out "2009 Totals", left column)  But I wasn't paying attention.

I resolve to do better.  Or at least ride more . . .

Motivation Monday:Bike Test Motivation

(This is the first installment in what I hope will become a fairly regular weekly feature along with Why Cycle Wednesday and Cycling Fun Friday.  That is, of course, if I can get enough motivation . . .)

Last week, I had to do the second of two "bike tests. " These are basically 3 mile time trials, done at my threshold HR.  The 7-week training program I'm using has you do three such tests - one at the beginning to establish your baseline, one 4 weeks in, and at the end of the program.

These aren't so bad on the road.  But as mentioned in my previous post, I don't wanna get my racing bike all mucked up with all the sand and salt out there.  So I do these tests on the trainer instead.

Actually, using the trainer is probably better since the environment is much easier to control - fewer variables.  Variables such as road condition, topography, weather and especially wind direction would make these tests less comparable.  The only thing that varies on the trainer is your will and motivation to keep pedaling at threshold while getting absolutely nowhere.

The first test wasn't so difficult.  You don't have much at stake in setting a baseline.  It is what it is.  You've got nothing to lose so you just do it.

For the second test, after you've been doing a month's worth of training, you want something to show for it.  But "progress" is not always a sufficient motivator.  To be sure I could keep my heartrate up and my legs turning the pedals for the time/effort required, I needed something else.

Here are a couple things I use to provide much-needed motivation:

• Hard, Fast Rock Music

This is a standard staple of hard workouts.  The more pumpin', loud and adrenaline-boosting the better.  My personal faves: "Keep Hope Alive" by the Crystal Method, "Lost Control" by Unwritten Law, "Artist in the Ambulance" by Thrice, "Get Free" by The Vines.  Selections from Three Doors Down and Billy Idol figure prominently as well.

If it gets your heartrate up just sitting on the couch, it's a good bet that it'll help you keep going on the trainer.

• Race Videos

Usually used for long trainer rides, race videos aren't an obvious choice for threshold tests.  Maybe a Time Trial (provided it's accompanied by a killer soundtrack - not Paul & Phil, much as I love'em).  One of the best is this one.  I've posted about it before, but if you haven't seen it you must check it out.  Its only drawback is that it starts out a little on the slow side, but it's long enough for the entire effort and it's free.  Best of all, the second half has "Keep Hope Alive" as the soundtrack.

As much as I enjoy that video though, nothing beats Sprinter Della Casa's helmetcam race videos ("Video Bar" right hand side of his blog), especially for those lucky enough to race the Bethel Spring Series of crits in southwestern CT.  There is nothing else like (virtually) racing in the pack - against racers you recognize - and SDC's post-production is key, keeping the clips nice, tight and action-packed.  An added bonus is that the soundtrack could stand on its own.  The fact that it accompanies such great footage is a bonus.

• Contemplative Silent Meditation to Feel the Burn, to BE the Burn

You have to be really committed to use this one.  I mean really, you have to be committed - like "hugging jacket" committed.  But if this is your cup o' tea, then far be it from me to interrupt your solitude in the pain cave.  Just don't expect me to join you.

There are other motivators (like not wanting to get TOTALLY shelled in your next race, or - er - losing your pre-race nutrition trying), but these are the ones that come to mind first.  Others that occur to me will be the subject of future Motivation Mondays.  ANYthing to keep us going!

What are your motivators?

Cycling Fun Friday:Bike Wash

This is whatcha gotta do if you're OCD about having a clean bike.  If you ride outside during the winter, it's "Messy Messy MESSY!" (as Professor Hinkle would say).

Thankfully, Mrs. Suitcase (also being OCD about some things) understands.  This isn't a new phenomena.  Click here for my FIRST foray into indoor bike showering, along with step-by-step instructions (don't worry, the pics are tastefully done).

There's not much to say about how to go about it.  Unfortunately, no option is exactly easy.  You basically bring in all the stuff you'd normally use for washing your bike and set it up in your shower.  A full size shower/tub combo is best, but I guess a shower-only would work, it'd just be more cramped.  My biggest challenge was fitting the Park Repair Stand(!).  Oh, and a shower nozzle on a HOSE would be great.  Must get one of those.  Pouring small bowls of water over the bike to rinse it wasn't messy, but it *was* very slow.

And use your citrus degreaser to clean up the oil drippings - and try not to rinse too much of it down the drain.  The reasons should be obvious.

Nice as it was to not have to turn on the outside spigot and freeze outside in the driveway, it still took the better part of an afternoon from setup to cleanup.  And while the bike is MUCH MUCH cleaner than it was, I still think a better job can be done outside.

So if you see me riding outside this winter, it likely won't be on my squeaky clean road bike.  If I ride outside on these slushy, sandy roads anymore, it'll be on the MTB/CityBike:

 

(regards to the Velosopher who just cleaned his bike too - read about it here)

Trainer Time

More snow today - so the only way I was going to get a ride in was to put in some Trainer Time.  I did a pretty thorough post about this time last year on indoor training - what all to get and do.  If you haven't seen it before, be sure to check it out.

My setup has evolved a little though - I've added a shelf in front of the bike for a DVD player (actually a laptop) to play movies for longer trainer sessions.  A 1.75 hour "ride" this morning was much less horrible watching Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train."  But it was weird watching a movie at 6 in the morning...

But I digress.

GC Cyling recently asked me what trainer I use.  While I answered him offline, I thought some of the rest of you might like to know what I use and why.

I use a CycleOps Fluid2 trainer.  It's pretty much like this one:

But mine doesn't have the cool tension lever (the yellow thing at the back); I have a dial/wheel instead.

This trainer uses a flywheel and fluid to provide resistance as you pedal.  The best features of this type of trainer are 1) it's very quiet and 2) resistance increases automatically as you pedal harder/faster, providing a realistic "road feel" for an indoor trainer.

Other types of indoor trainers are better than nothing, but I've found them to be either WAY too loud (wind resistance trainers) or the resistance was fussy, hard to adjust, non-linear (mag trainers).  Fluid trainers tend to be more expensive than other types of trainers, but for long indoor sessions I think they're the best.

This is a great trainer to take to races too, for pre-race warmups.  Many trainers require you to screw something onto the rear wheel's quick release/hub.  This one has a nifty quick-engage lever.  Set it up once for your bike, and just flip on/flip off in the future.  Great for getting your bike out quickly so you can get to the starting line.

As you can probably tell, I like my trainer just about as much as anyone CAN like a trainer.  If mine ever broke (unlikely), I'd definitely get another one - especially with that cool new tension lever.

So when the weather outside is frightful, and you can't get out to ride, get yourself an indoor trainer and keep getting those miles in.

Just don't beat me too badly when you're all fit & ready for the spring races . . .

Record Week

Right up front, a BIG THANK YOU for all the birthday wishes.  Turning 40 isn't so bad when you have such great family and friends to share it with.  I'll be sharing some of the cool things I got in my next post - but I gotta get the pics.  So stay tuned!

In the meantime, just wanted to document what has to be my biggest miles/week this time of year EVER.

177.15 miles!

That's right up there in the top five for the YEAR.  The last time I rode that much in a week was way back in the summer.

Of course, my 4000 mile goal had a lot (ok, everything) to do with me getting so many miles in early in the week.  But then I kicked in the new year with a 60 mile ride with friends SDC & Hobgoblin yesterday.  Well, *I* did 60 miles - it was only supposed to be a 50 mile ride.  See if you can see where I made the wrong turn:

 

I realized too late that the breakaway group I was with was ALL going back to where THEY started the ride up on I-84.  Unfortunately, where *I* started - and needed to return to - was Bethel Cycle.  Ooops!

But it was a beautiful ride down to the shore and back, along beautiful backroads, alongside lakes and through pretty countryside.  Only problem was it was all UPhill coming back.  And my little - ahem - "shortcut" didn't help any.  Here's the profile:

 

But Hob and DorothyW were wonderful hosts and had lots of great pizza waiting for me when I finally trudged back in.

It was the perfect ending to a wonderful birthday weekend and a banner week of riding!