Comet - Tempo

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 34.00 mi
Moving Time: 01:58:53
Avg Speed: 17.2 mph
Max Speed: 25.8 mph
Interval 1 Avg Speed: 16.8
Interval 2 Avg Speed: 16.6

Goal: 2 x 60 minute intervals sustained in levels 3 and 4.

Ride: I wondered what today's training would be like after the exhausting ride yesterday and going out I felt as if I was pushing against a slight headwind. Just as one would figure with a 67 degree day in Atlanta a lot of people were out, which made going out and coming back very difficult to navigate and keep up the pace. I am not sure that would have been able to get closer to level 4 and it was probably a wise thing not to try. Going out and coming back I was content to just go for a tempo style 2 hour ride instead of the usual higher intensity 2x60's. Incredible weather for January and it was great to be outside on the bike in shorts and short sleeves.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~36 oz. of water with BCAA, Glutamine & Maltodextrin, (2) Hammer gel (1) 30 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink

The Weather:  67 degrees, sunny, winds WSW @ 3mph

Bike: LOOK 585, PT Hub, Garmin 705

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      0.97      0.07
      2      9.81      6.57
      3    105.90    112.26
      4      0.00      0.00
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      0.00      0.00
      7      0.99      1.19

Power Data: (Based on FT 200)
 Interval 1:
    Duration:      1:00:00
    Work:          544 kJ
    TSS:           63.3 (intensity factor 0.798)
    Norm Power:    160
    VI:            1.05
    Distance:      16.903 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    572    152     watts
    Speed:           0    23    16.9     mph
    Pace             2:37    0:00    3:33     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    29    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    735    175     lb-in


Interval 2:
    Duration:      53:17 (54:10)
    Work:          459 kJ
    TSS:           53.2 (intensity factor 0.783)
    Norm Power:    157
    VI:            1.08
    Distance:      16.221 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    524    145     watts
    Speed:           0    25.2    18.3     mph
    Pace             2:23    0:00    3:17     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    32    5     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    848    164     lb-in

Oh What A Beautiful Day It Is

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 60.11 mi
Moving Time: 04:25:02
Avg Speed: 14.7 mph
Max Speed: 39.2 mph

Group: Diane, Nancy, Jamie, Peter, Gary, Mike and me (Jack and Edgar were with us for a few miles)

Goal: My goal was to enjoy the ride with hopes of racking up some decent time in L3 and L4

The Ride: I cannot believe how wonderful today was. Not only did the temperature climb from 27 degrees to a 66 degree sunny finish, but the companionship on the ride was also great. It was nice to see Diane, Jamie and Nancy back riding with us and for a brief few miles we even had Jack and Edgar with us.

I had a 67 mile route planned and loaded in the GPS, but I am glad we changed our minds and cut a few miles because I am feeling whipped and I still have intervals tomorrow. I will need to recover fast if that is going to happen.

The ride today had a short challenging climb on Addington Road, the climb up to the Johnson Mountain summit and then some more climbing as we remained on Salacoa Valley Road heading toward the store stop. There is at least one 19% spot on Addington and a few other little stingers. We also had to be careful because of the fine gravel that was part of the treatment from a recent ice storm. We all managed to make it through safely and headed back on the typical roads from Fairmont. As we headed back a headwind made the flatter roads more challenging, however, the warm temperature sure kept my attitude positive.

What a wonderful day in the sun. What a wonderful day with friends.
I praise the Lord for a great day!

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~32 oz. bottle of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (2) Cliff Bars (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 27 degrees, End @ 66 degrees, Calm winds at the start and breezy at the end.
Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired, Contour GPS camera

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Summary Table of Minutes of Duration in Each Training Zone
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      0.25      0.00
      2     70.54     46.62
      3    115.54    142.09
      4     41.50     53.07
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      1.13      1.89
      7     10.86     41.52

Overall Power Data:
 Entire workout (125 watts):
    Duration:      4:03:48 (4:27:22)
    Work:          1804 kJ
    TSS:           285.2 (intensity factor 0.851)
    Norm Power:    170
    VI:            1.36
    Distance:      60.263 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    833    125     watts
    Speed:           0    40    14.8     mph
    Pace             1:30    0:00    4:03     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    44    7     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    1001    149     lb-in

Comet - 2 x 60 Intervals

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 34.68 mi
Moving Time: 01:59:21
Avg Speed: 17.4 mph
Max Speed: 23.6 mph
Interval 1 Avg Speed: 17.2
Interval 2 Avg Speed: 17.4

Goal: 2 x 60 minute ntervals sustained in levels 3 and 4.

Ride:
Interval 1: A very chilly start and I should have done a warm up to be proper, but I was too cold to mess around so as soon as I had my computers zeroed and synced I put on a solid pace. Although I could not really sense a headwind I am speculating that I was fighting a slight head wind going out. My speed was a little slower, but look at the power output for interval 1 compared to interval 2, which had a faster speed. After about 4 miles I stopped shivering and was in a nice groove. The skies were gray and gloomy and it was one of those days when sitting at home seemed to be a nice thought, but there is work to be done.

Interval 2: I was really surprised that after the 48 mile ride and how sore my legs felt last night that I was able to feel this good on the second interval. I could have pushed a little harder based on my lower power number, but to be honest I was cruising at a good pace. Good enough for today I thought and based on my time spent between levels 3 and 4 and very minimal time in level 2 or below I am very happy with the day.

One thing about cycling in winter that I do not hear my cycling friends talk about is the restraint I feel in the winter technical clothing. Sure it looks light and thin, but I feel like I am in a straight jacket and I feel like I am fighting against the wind resistant cycling tights. Oh well you know they say what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger. I really look forward to the freedom feeling of short sleeves and shorts.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~36 oz. bottle of water with BCAA, Glutamine & Maltodextrin, (2) Hammer gel (1) 30 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink

The Weather:  38 degrees ( feels like 32 degrees), Overcast and gloomy, winds WNW @ 7mph

Bike: Cannondale six13, PT Hub, Garmin 705

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      0.29      0.00
      2      0.00      0.00
      3    104.81    111.55
      4     12.91     18.00
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      0.00      0.00
      7      0.34      1.13

Power Data: (Based on FT 200)
 Interval 1:
    Duration:      1:00:01 (1:00:07)
    Work:          600 kJ
    TSS:           74.6 (intensity factor 0.874)
    Norm Power:    175
    VI:            1.04
    Distance:      17.425 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    484    168     watts
    Speed:           0    24    17.3     mph
    Pace             2:30    0:00    3:28     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    31    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    658    182     lb-in
 
Interval 2:
    Duration:      57:41 (57:54)
    Work:          481 kJ
    TSS:           52.6 (intensity factor 0.744)
    Norm Power:    149
    VI:            1.06
    Distance:      17.26 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    476    140     watts
    Speed:           0    23.9    17.9     mph
    Pace             2:31    0:00    3:21     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    23    5     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    574    165     lb-in

BBC - 48

Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 48.2 mi
Moving Time: 02:51:51
Avg Speed: 16.5 mph
Max Speed: 32.0 mph

Group: Terry and me

Goal: My goal was to enjoy the ride with hopes of racking up some decent time in L3 and L4

The Ride: There were not too many that were motivated to ride today at the brewery. The parking lot was very empty. I believe Neal and Kit did a ride at a very chilly 8 am start, Edgar and Jack rode together at 10 and then me and Terry did the marked BBC 48 mile route at 12 pm. I am glad that Terry wanted to ride later because it at least warmed up in the mid 30's when we rolled out and it was about 38 when we finished.

We kept a fairly steady pace for most of the route and did not stop until we were finished. I feel like it was a good training day and I think I reserved enough to be able to do my 2 x 60 minute intervals tomorrow. I will  have to wait and see if I am recovered enough. One thing is certain I need to step it up a notch or two for both outdoor miles and indoor intensity. My TSS and CTL has dropped since before Christmas and still looks like it is on a downward trend.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course:(1) 24 oz. bottle of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 35 degrees, End @ 38 degrees

Bike: Cannondale six13, Garmin 705, Powertap wired

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Summary Table of Minutes of Duration in Each Training Zone
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      2.02      0.53
      2     40.21     27.75
      3    104.56    125.85
      4     15.33     19.01
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      1.39      4.12
      7      8.55     26.11

Overall Power Data:
 Entire workout (134 watts):
    Duration:      2:53:35 (2:55:52)
    Work:          1382 kJ
    TSS:           203.9 (intensity factor 0.846)
    Norm Power:    169
    VI:            1.26
    Distance:      48.535 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    743    134     watts
    Speed:           0    32.9    16.7     mph
    Pace             1:49    0:00    3:35     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    35    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    919    143     lb-in

DIY - Aerobar Computer Mount

I recently installed some aerobars on my indoor trainer, but the problem is that when I am down on the pads I could not see the computer that is mounted on the stem. My desire was to move it out to a spot that I could see.

I could have just ordered a mount, but when I started looking at the options I was not that impressed for the cost of purchase and shipping. The review for the mount that looked the best had a low review score and as a designer by trade it did not look like it was made to be durable and the review reflected my thoughts.

The following was my do it yourself solution and the cost was $1.27 for a 3/4" x 24 PVC pipe that I purchased at Home Depot. The tools used were a miter saw, drill press with a clamp, files, sand paper and black paint. Minus the paint drying time this was about a thirty minute project.

As shown without the zip ties the bar is tight and is good for indoor training, but for outdoor use the zip ties will be needed.

A quick sketch of what I wanted to achieve and then I am ready to start

1. Measure

2. Cut to Length

3. Cut with a hole saw, drill press and clamp (a round file can be used instead of the drill press)

4. It seems to fit

Finished

Made 5/20/2012 For Felt B10

Here is another method for a cheap DIY Aerobar Garmin Edge computer mount

Basically this is just a flat piece of plastic with holes drilled and zip ties. I had the material already, but this is another very low cost method and can be used if the round PVC interferes with other mounts. In my case the PVC did not work well with the bottle mount.

Update: I have recently upgraded to a purchased Garmin mount on the Speedfil Z4 bottle cage.

 

Here is the blog entry for the Speedfil Z4 mount and a picture below

http://thecyclingaddiction.blogspot.com/2013/09/speedfil-z4-bottle-cage.html

 

There are more pictures on the blog entry.

 

 

 

 

 



Ice, Ice Baby

(Mike and Me chillin')

Group: Gary, Mike, Joe, Mike, Rod, Ron, Peter and me
Goal: My goal was to enjoy the winter group ride with friends and get in some training time

The Ride: I moved to Atlanta in the late 1980's and earlier in the week is the worst winter storm I think I have seen since living here. Maybe not the deepest snow, but this winter storm created havoc in the City of Atlanta for a number of days. To the point no one could imagine being out cycling today, but a few of us rolled the dice and hoped the roads in Bartow County would be somewhat clear. We came up fortunate that the county did a great job clearing the road and because of that we were able to slip in a 55 mile ride.

For whatever reason I was not feeling that spring in my step today. Maybe it was the consecutive days of training indoors or a bad night of sleep last night, but I just did not have the zeal in me and seemed to be lagging even though I was able to stay with the winter group pace. However, I am very grateful to have been out riding with these seven guys and I may not be able to count it as a great training day it was certainly a great recreational cycling day.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course:(1) 24 oz. bottle of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (2) Hammer gel (1) Cliff bar (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 32 degrees, End @ 46 degrees

Bike: Cannondale six13, Garmin 705, Powertap wired, Contour GPS video camera

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Summary Table of Minutes of Duration in Each Training Zone
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      6.55      1.30
      2     83.66     59.54
      3    101.37    123.93
      4      0.00      0.00
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      0.84      2.93
      7     10.12     37.12

Overall Power Data:
 Entire workout (120 watts):
    Duration:      3:25:21 (4:05:50)
    Work:          1454 kJ
    TSS:           225.2 (intensity factor 0.823)
    Norm Power:    165
    VI:            1.38
    Distance:      55.678 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    608    120     watts
    Speed:           0    32.1    16.2     mph
    Pace             1:52    0:00    3:42     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    36    5     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    782    128     lb-in

2x60's Intervals and 2xFrozen Feet

 
Garmin Connect Ride Data
Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 35.5 mi
Moving Time: 02:10:10
Avg Speed: 16.4 mph
Max Speed: 24.7 mph

Goal: 2 x 60 minute ntervals sustained in levels 3 and 4.

Ride: After the drive home and the heat blowing hot air on my feet, a very hot shower and now sitting here taking care of logging my training data, my feet are finally starting to get some feeling back in them. Not only was I not fully prepared for this training session nutrition wise, but the weather was very cold and the trail a very empty place. I saw a few joggers, but very few cycling. The big news of Georgia is a major threat of a big ice storm moving in this evening so I grabbed my gear after church, skipped lunch and tried to get out to the trail before this storm starts moving in.

Even though I struggled and nearly bonked on the second interval I still feel as if I needed this set of outdoor intervals. I could have just stayed home and did another session of indoor intervals and today was a struggle in several ways, but I am glad I went. I need to send my legs a message. It is a new year and it is time to get focused.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course:(1) 24 oz. bottle of water with BCAA, Glutamine & Maltodextrin, (1) Hammer gel (1) 20 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink

The Weather:  32 degrees (Weather Channel: feels like 28 degrees and it did), Overcast, winds @ 5mph

Bike: LOOK 585, PT Hub, Garmin 705, Contour GPS camera

Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
  Level   Minutes       TSS
      1      0.69      0.04
      2     16.72     11.66
      3     82.09     81.37
      4     25.73     33.28
      5      0.00      0.00
      6      0.00      0.00
      7      0.80      1.87
Power Data: (Based on FT 200)
 Interval 1:
    Duration:      59:59 (1:00:39)
    Work:          582 kJ
    TSS:           70.7 (intensity factor 0.847)
    Norm Power:    169
    VI:            1.04
    Distance:      17.74 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    523    162     watts
    Speed:           0    24.2    17.8     mph
    Pace             2:29    0:00    3:23     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    28    6     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    668    174     lb-in


Interval 2: (I faded big time on this interval)
    Duration:      1:01:08 (1:01:11)
    Work:          491 kJ
    TSS:           51.7 (intensity factor 0.717)
    Norm Power:    143
    VI:            1.06
    Distance:      16.901 mi
        Min    Max    Avg
    Power:           0    478    135     watts
    Speed:           0    24.4    16.6     mph
    Pace             2:27    0:00    3:37     min/mi
    Hub Torque:      0    31    5     lb-in
    Crank Torque:    0    919    147     lb-in

Brewery to Fairmont - Winter Group Ride

Garmin Connect Ride Data:
Garmin Ride Summary:
Distance: 53.21 mi
Elevation Gain: 2,611 ft
Moving Time: 03:32:38
Avg Speed: 15.0 mph
Max Speed: 33.7 mph

Group: Gary, Mike, Joe, Elizabeth, Rod, Ron, Jamie, Glenn, Peter, Neal, Matt and me
Goal: My goal was to enjoy the winter group ride with friends and get in some training time

The Ride: The way the weather predictions were in the days proceeding this ride it sounded really bad. It had the temperature at 32 (feels like 22) and winds up to 10 mph. By Thursday I was not getting any email chatter concerning a weekend ride so I put out a feeler email to see if anyone was interested. Much to my surprise we had a really good attendance today with 12 cyclists. The weather was not near as bad as indicated except the winds were starting to kick up in the last miles. I am glad I did not pursue more miles with the wind increasing.

Matt helped lead us out toward Redbud and do a store stop at the Sunoco and then we returned on the usual roads. There were some in the group that I did not say a word at all during the entire ride, but my hope is that everyone had as much fun as I did and got in some good training or recreation time as well. After training indoors and being away for the holidays it was good to see some of my cycling buddies and be out on the road again. On the way back I must have split off from the group and was ahead of them, but it was a good time for me to set down a steady pace and get in some sustained power output using RPE.

Even with intense indoor intervals my CTL in WKO was dropping like a rock I needed a longer endurance ride to help stop the decline. I need a lot more training time to be honest.

Nutrition Intake During and after the Course:(1) 24 oz. bottle of water with Hammer Heed,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (1) Cliff bar (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .

The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 35 degrees, Stiff winds in the last miles.

Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired

Overall Power Data: 
Hub batteries died at the ride start. The information below was calculated with WKO+ and perceived effort as manual entry.
 Entire workout (176 watts):
    Duration:      3:33:00
    Work:          2249 kJ
    TSS:           274.4 (intensity factor 0.88)
    Norm Power:    176
    Distance:      52.21 mi

New Year's Day - 2011 Official Training Kickoff

Happy New Year and I hope that everyone has a great (and safe) 2011 cycling year.

Since the weather outside this New Year's day is raining and windy I will enter the pain cave to get some time in on the trainer with the typical intervals, but for a while I will change from my typical 20 minute intervals and go with 30 minute intervals for the next several months. There are a number of effective training philosophies on how to break up intervals in context of time, but if one were to review my posts from June 2010 to current day it may be noticed that I am focused on time at level more so than holding the intensity of upper threshold of level 4 for shorter time intervals.

From my perspective the metabolic adaptations chart shows the best bang for the buck somewhere between levels 3 and 4 called the sweet spot. I had a desire to enter a 10 mile time trial in February and I would consider a 30 minute finish to be suitable for my level at such an early time of the year and in comparison to the finishing results for Cat level racers it would be an average finish for Cat-5 & 4. Being that I do not race it would certainly be decent for me at this time of the year. But this is sort of the reason that I am bumping up from 20 minute intervals to 30 minute intervals because if I do the time trial I will need to sustain higher output power for 30 minutes straight and I want my legs to get used to it. By the way my last training session on the fluid trainer with 30 minute intervals in the sweet spot almost yielded the goal and that is why I may not do the time trial. As a note that I perform far better outside on pavement than on the trainer.

I am almost at the goal of this time trial and then I question, "why get distracted with the time trial?" I just need to keep my focus and keep going forward in building up sustainable power, but the time trial, if I am motivated to wake up early, will probably be a very cold morning.

My goal for 2011 is very simple. I plan to use this year to continue work on building my functional threshold and because I do not race I really do not need to focus on VO2 intervals this year. Along the way I will probably enter a few events for fun, such as, 3 State 3 Mountain in May and some other annual events, but all of these will be purely at the recreational level. I am not sure how my focus in training will put me for group rides, but I do hope that I can find a way to achieve both and be able to ride with my cycling friends.

Even if I cannot get outside for a ride today at least this season is starting off a little better than last year when I started the season with the flu and a respiratory illness. My 2010 season started with an illness and I had a CTL down in the 30's. 2011 starts today and I am better than twice on the CTL as a start for this year but I really want to get that CTL even higher. The more you train the more you can train as some have said. Of course one needs to consider all other things when thinking of that phrase.

I hope to stay healthy, keep my focus on the Lord, enjoy my friendship with my wife, work hard for my employer and keep trudging along trying to improve as a cyclist this year. My hope is that you too will have a great cycling year.