Reflection of 2010

The above graphic is a reflection of my 2010 season to this point and with the holidays and all the other activities that I have to attend between now and the end of the year will probably end on a flat note, but I do plan to squeeze in as much quality time as possible. Also our weather has been rather cold and windy, which means trying to put in more quality time on the trainer, but it is really hard to rack up as much TSS (Training Stress Score) points in the week on indoor training compared to the 2 and 3 hour outdoor rides.

• As I started the 2010 season I had high hopes of really kicking it into gear, but I came down with the flu and a respiratory illness that really hurt my training and turned out to be a major setback. It took me weeks for my lungs and heart to recover from the illness and then it was a very slow ramping up the training intensity.
• Once I started training for the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge I had a fairly linear progression, but it was mainly climbing back to my previous condition following the illness so the progress was steady.
• Then I hit my second slump, which was going on vacation with my wife and as it happens in my line of business vacation just means working harder finishing deadlines leading up to the time off. Time off the bike once again really put me into a deep hole.
• After returning from vacation it really hit me that I wanted to get structured with using my power meter and not just do well in fast paced weekend club rides so I set a goal of changing my structure and work on raising my functional threshold. The last two blocks of training with small periods of rest between are reflective of the new structure. It is my goal to look at this as a very long project so I do not expect to see sharp growth periods, but hopefully future PMC charts will reflect something similar to this graphic with a slightly steady upward rising trend. This gradual trend will help me continue to train in blocks of weeks with hope of being able to easily recover and keep going. So far it is working just as I had hoped and just as I was told by others who have found success in this type of structure.

If you are new to this blog I do not race. I fall into the category of a recreational cyclists, but it is my hope to train with good intention and effort within a limited time frame.