Sunday Solo Cruise - The Usual

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Today's Route

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 40

Speed (mph): 18.5

Cadence (rpm): 72

Time Moving: 2:11:00

Time Total: 2:13:41

Work (kj): 1068

Normal Power: 151

Average Power: 136

Max Power: 567
VI: 1.11
TSS: 123
IF: 0.75

Goal:

Build Endurance

Ride Description:

Out and Back Spin. I could feel the fatigue in my legs from yesterday. Still not too bad of a spin considering the heat and fatigue.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 91

Temperature Finish (F): 90

Wind: W 5 mph

Sky: Partly Cloudy

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1 15oz. Water, BSN Amino X, Maltodextrin, Trace Mineral Drops

Bottle #3 6oz. Water

GU gel at mile 20

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Gear:

 Felt  B10 

Brewery Solo 80

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Today's Route

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 80

Speed (mph): 17

Cadence (rpm): 71

Time Moving: 4:45:11

Time Total: 4:51:13

Work (kj): 1975

Normal Power: 138

Average Power: 117

Max Power: 392
VI: 1.18
TSS: 220
IF: 0.68

Goal:

Build Endurance

Ride Description:

Out and Back Spin. 

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 75

Temperature Finish (F): 88

Wind: Calm start, breezy finish

Sky: Partly to heavy cloud cover

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1 24oz. Water, BSN Amino X, Maltodextrin, Trace Mineral Drops

Bottle #2 15oz. Water, BSN Amino X, Maltodextrin, Trace Mineral Drops

Bottle #3 8oz. Water

GU gel at mile 24

Clif Bar at mile 45

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Gear:

 Felt  B10 

Sunday Cruise

Ride Metrics:

Accidentally deleted the ride on the 820 instead of saving. Now that I am more familiar with the post ride save protocol I will hopefully not do this again. Trying to save the ride and not wearing my reading glasses I thought I hit the Save icon, but instead I must have hit the Discard icon right next to Save. Again not seeing clearly I hit the Check mark which confirmed the discard. 

Kind of wished they had not put a Discard on that display and if the user wanted to discard or delete the activity they would need to go to the History record and delete from that screen. This is the format on the Edge 800 and I never accidentally discarded a ride, with or without wearing reading glasses. 

Goal:

Endurance Build

Ride Description:

Typical 40 mile out and back in some extreme heat.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 90

Temperature Finish (F): 95

Wind: Calm

Sky: Partly cloudy

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BSN Amino X, Maltodextrin, Trace Mineral Drops

GU gel at mile 20

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

Felt B10

Brewery Solo 80

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 80

Speed Avg (mph): 16.6

Cadence Avg (rpm): 72

Time Moving: 4:50:50

Time Total: 5:02:31
Work (kj): 1952

Normal Power: 135

Average Power: 113

Max Power: 478

VI: 1.19

TSS: 214.7

IF: 0.67

Goal:

Endurance Build

Ride Description:

The usual Saturday out and back. The Garmin 820 worked very well during this first outdoor ride. I had a couple of tweaks to make to the display choices, but no other issues.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 74

Temperature Finish (F): 90

Wind: Calm to breezy

Sky: Cloudy 

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BSN Amino X, Maltodextrin, Trace Mineral Drops

Bottle #2: 24oz Water, BSN Amino X, Maltodextrin, Trace Mineral Drops
GU gel at mile 24
Clif Bar at mile 40
GU gel at mile 55

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

Felt B10

Garmin Edge 820

Left to Right: Edge 500, Edge 820, Edge 800

First Thoughts

I am not totally sure why I jumped on the 820 so quickly. The 800 has been my trusty device for a number of years now and has weathered many changing and hard seasons. It has survived through torrential downpours and never skipped a beat. It has always recorded my rides and helped my navigational confusion at strange rural crossroads at times. After reading DC Rainmaker's detailed review I noticed a few new Bells & Whistles that triggered an impulse buy from Clever Training a few days before the first shipping. 

As I waited a few days for the official release and then the quick shipping from Clever Training I was kind of scolding myself for jumping on the 820 so quickly. I mean I already have two very reliable head units in the 500 and 800 and what was the gain? Well to be honest not really a whole lot when one considers the cost and how it is not going to make my cycling fitness any better, but so far I am very happy with the purchase.

Indoor Training

But what I have noticed for this first week of indoor training I am liking some of those Bells and Whistles. Being so familiar with the 800 it took me a few more minutes to break from the traditions to a new format and Activity Profiles, but after I got the gist of things I quickly moved on and setup a Training Profile that will be for outdoor rides and an Indoor Profile for the obvious. However, both have been setup with generally the same screen displays, but with the Indoor Profile the GPS is turned off so that my street address is not going to show up on Strava or elsewhere, hopefully. 

The 820 also keeps a pool of sensors in general and once these sensors are found the first time I have noticed they pair up very fast. As soon as the Quarq ELSA signal is picked up I have the calibration set for auto and it cues me to zero the offset of the power meter before moving on. In general it just seems like the 820 has, in a sense, removed some steps from the moment you power up the computer to the time you are ready to roll. The very first day I spent a little more time trying to sync via Bluetooth post training to Garmin Connect app on the iPhone. However, from the second day on the ride syncs up to Garmin Connect online automatically and sends it on to Strava, which also is saving me some extra steps following my indoor training. I am still connecting to my laptop via the USB cable to upload to WKO. I have not setup the WiFi on the 820 and do not know if this will work yet or not. 

I was also considering the FE-C ability to control the Kickr through the 820, but the more I read it does not sound appealing or it does not read as if it works in the way that I want. So I am not sure I am even going to attempt setting it up. Maybe someday I will.

Although the display is a slightly smaller than the 800 I do not feel like I am missing anything for viewing. I can see all of the display metrics with reading glasses, which I have to use anyway at this point in life. I would need a laptop screen to see without them so indoor I use reading glasses and out on the road I use Dual Wear cycling sunglasses. I have had some minor issues with the touch display sensitivity indoors where a drop of sweat or a slight brush of the towel guarding my bike from sweat changed the screen display, but not a big deal. At this point I have not seen a single hiccup in pairing to sensors or recording training or syncing data post training. 

Outdoor Training

Other than a couple display tweaks that I needed to make roadside the 820 worked really well for yesterday's 80 mile ride. The battery was down to 77% at the end of the close to 5 hour ride. Flipping the screens on occasion with finger swipe is easy with dry fingers. I had a little more trouble a couple times when my hand and fingers were wet with sweat. I wonder how it will be during a rainy ride, but then again it is not like I switch displays much and especially on a wet ride.

Anytime a new Garmin Edge comes out there is a time of hesitation when many will want to see what people's experiences are and if the product is buggy. From the ride yesterday I can personally say that this particular unit worked well enough that I would feel comfortable selling either the Edge 800 or 500. I will keep one of them just as a backup, but from this point forward I feel confident enough that the 820 will be my primary head unit. 

If you are looking for a detailed review and you have not yet read DC Rainmaker's review I suggest taking a look. The link is provided above.

Update 10/16/2016

Firmware Update 4.10 Screen Sensitivity
I was hoping for a good fix, but based on a simple test after the update I believe my unit still may be too sensitive for a raining ride. I will probably need to stick with either the Garmin 800 or 500 for those rides. I've had a few sweaty indoor and rainy outdoor rides with the screen changing display and even settings. Ugh!

Sensitivity Set On Low

Sensitivity Set On Medium

Comet Solo Cruise

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 40.3

Speed Avg (mph): 18.2

Cadence Avg (rpm): 74

Time Moving: 2:14:25

Time Total: 2:18:44
Work (kj): 1065

Normal Power: 147

Average Power: 132

Max Power: 595

VI: 1.11

TSS: 121

IF: 0.73

Goal:

Endurance 

Ride Description:

Out and back cruise and taking it cautiously since I had a very minor hamstring strain loading a 200 lb. plate compactor for the home project. Thankfully the strain is very minor at this point and the Comet was a good place to get out and spin the legs without putting a lot of strain in the injured area. No lifting tomorrow as this thing might rip wide open (not literally). I will take it easy this week on the lifting and will see if I can do my typical indoor cycling schedule. We'll see how it goes. 

Not a light piece of equipment to unload and load for transport. My left hamstring is none too happy right now.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 88

Temperature Finish (F): 85

Wind: Calm

Sky: Partly cloudy, brief rain

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin

GU gel at mile 20 turn point

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

Felt B10

Brewery Solo 80

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 80

Speed Avg (mph): 16.4

Cadence Avg (rpm): 72

Time Moving: 4:54:40

Time Total: 5:00:35
Work (kj): 1984 

Normal Power: 131

Average Power: 112

Max Power: 462

VI: 1.16

TSS: 209

IF: 0.65

Goal:

Endurance

Ride Description:

The usual out and back and then back home to work on the paver patio project.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 73

Temperature Finish (F): 90

Wind: Calm to breezy

Sky: Partly Cloudy

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin

Bottle #2: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin
GU gel at mile 24
Clif Bar at mile 45

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

Felt B10

A Little Conflicted?

The Mental Struggle

One of the best traits that came in my competitive lifting career was at some point you stop second guessing and stop jumping on every new training concept that comes along. After many years of training you hopefully figure out what works best in your own personal goals and you know specifically what you need to do to accomplish those goals. Training becomes more efficient as you weed out certain things and certain voices stating new research papers that just came out week after week. This is one of the reasons I no longer sit on strength or bodybuilding forums. Not to sound arrogant, but eventually I figured out what worked for me in my prime. After the competition years I could relax just a little more and train in a less rigid manner, which is not quite as sport specific.

My goal specifically is to improve sustained power output over the long course.

Lately though I've had a tickle of interest in improving my sprint even though I have no reason to improve my sprint. So I am conflicted and it really doesn't fit in with my overall training because I already train my legs pretty hard on Monday mornings. Having that anaerobic work and adding in more anaerobic efforts on the bike is not adding up in my mental estimation. My belief is that after a few weeks I would start digging a hole that I may struggle to get out. I think my game plan probably should stick with Leg day at the gym and then stay aerobic on the bike and let the legs recover during the week. The 4 x 8's at 105% +/- are probably about as intense as I should get and at least that is still an aerobic effort.

Because of this sidebar interest I've been messing around with the E-Motion rollers lately trying to see if I can get the wireless controller to work since that is what I have installed at the moment. I've struggled to get it to work like I want and the original mechanical resistance settings would be a much easier task to get set up just by setting the resistance and then shifting to the desired gearing as I ramp up into a sprint. I tried again last night to get the rollers setup using TrainerRoad using Standard mode for resistance, but did not get the setup dialed in like I wanted and was not able to get up to the wattage that I had hoped. I maxed out at about 600 watts as I shifted gears the electronically controlled resistance also went up and it messed up my ramp up to the sprint.

The image below reflects five attempts on trying to get the E-Motion roller resistance controller, TrainerRoad and the power meter all setup and working together. The first three attempts I was using the rollers as intended and the last two I used the fork stand to take balance out of the equation. The end result I still haven't found a setup protocol for all these electronics that works well for this type of effort. I am sure that I could get this to work with more testing and tampering with the settings within the application.

Nothing like the simplicity of a road bike, a hill, a power meter and some aggression.




Attempted sprint effort as viewed in Xert Online

I may give another try again. Perhaps I don't need to second guess my overall training goals. Since I am a recreational level rider that pretty much train solo these days or with a friend or two there really hasn't been a reason to sprint or work on sprints. Those 4 x 8's have been plenty sufficient to pull away from the wiliest of pitbulls. When training or riding solo who exactly am I going to sprint against?


So now that a few days have gone by I am back to staying dialed in on my primary goal for cycling. Which is just plain ole building of endurance and raising that threshold ceiling through indoor intervals at different durations and different intensities just around that sub-maximal mark.


Conflicted? Maybe I got a little distracted for a couple days or weeks, but that is quenched.

Cross Fitness Training Review

Current Weekly Training Schedule

One of my very first blog posts on the subject of strength training goes all the way back to 2008 and to refresh my history on this post I have been training with weights since 1982. I had a great competitive career in strength and specifically won a number of bodybuilding competitions. It was training for strength that was and still is my delight. I have never stopped loving this type of training and with this many years invested I don't plan to give it up. As much as I love cycling, lifting is still my main passion.


Here is my weekly schedule. The weight training portion has been the same for many years and I am successful toward my own goals training each body part just once a week. In my prime I used a 4 on : 1 off routine, but for a non-competitive type of strength training each group once a week has been more than sufficient. I have become weaker not by the change in routine, but by a change in aging and/or hormone changes and some nagging past injuries. My toolbox of exercises or movements and training principles are fairly extensive so I am not going to list everything in my weight training toolbox.


Also of important note, I do not lift in order to improve cycling performance. To me the two are separate goals and to this point I have not seen one help the other in the fashion that I train. That is not to say that perhaps there may be a way to shape strength training to help cycling performance as some claim. Weights are tools that can be used for many types of performance goals. It's just that I have not personally witnessed or observed any benefit in my cycling performance. If anything they both interfere with each other. Oh well I am getting off track.........


Monday -       AM Legs / PM Indoor Bike Active Recovery
Tuesday -      AM Chest / PM Indoor Bike Threshold Level Intervals (Near 100% FTP)
Wednesday - AM Back / PM Indoor Bike Threshold Level Intervals (90% FTP)
Thursday -     AM Shoulders / PM Indoor Bike Threshold Level Intervals (Near 100% FTP)
Friday -          AM Arms / PM Rest
Saturday -     4 to 6 hour endurance ride (typically solo) weather pending
Sunday -       2 hour solo endurance ride weather pending

Of course this is my typical schedule when all things go okay, but sometimes the cycling gets bumped by working overtime on project deadlines or on the weekends for occasional life activities that pop up. If it rains hard (storms) on the weekends I will train inside.


Weight training I typically do anywhere from 20 to 30 total sets. My training style these days have very little rest between sets and I typically superset two to three of my favorite movements at a time. Training will last about 30 to 40 minutes. This is much different than my competitive strength days where I would spend up to 5 minutes between sets on the heaviest lifts.


My main tool list in the toolbox for weight training. I usually have each of these movements in each week and select a variation from machine, free weight, bodyweight or cable combined with one of the training principles depending on how I feel that day and for what interests me at that moment. I also train very early with just a handful of people it is easy to do supersets or giant sets without personal issues.


HS = Hammer Strength Plate Loaded Machine
BW = Body Weight
db = dumbbell
smith = smith machine
cable = selectorized machine using cables and pulleys

Movement Toolbox

Legs - Squats (bar, smith,), Hack Squat (HS), Cybex Squat Press, Base Deadlift (HS), High Platform Step Up (BW)

Chest - Incline Press (db, bar, smith, HS), Flat Press (db, bar, smith, HS), BW Dips

Back - Chin Ups/Lat Pull Downs (cable, BW, HS), Rows (bar, db, cable, HS), Lower Back Hyperextensions, Stiff Leg Deadlifts (bar, HS, db), Planks (BW)

Shoulders - Shoulder Press (db, bar, smith, HS), Side Lateral Raise (cable, db), Rear Delts (cable, db), Vertical Row (cable, bar, db)

Arms - Standing Curls (bar, db, cable, HS), Tricep Extensions (bar, db, cable), Behind the Head Tricep Extensions (db, cable, bar), Dips (BW, HS)

Training Principle Toolbox

Supersets, Pyramid Sets, Drop Sets, Giant Sets


Well that is my typical training week. Perhaps might explain more of why I am not that good of a cyclist or something to that effect, but I am pretty happy overall for my general fitness level at my age. My genetics seem to favor the weights more than cycling, but I am addicted to cycling and do enjoy training as if I wanted to compete.

Sunday Solo Cruise

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 40

Speed Avg (mph): 18.8

Cadence Avg (rpm): 73

Time Moving: 2:08:44

Time Total: 2:11:59
Work (kj): 1033

Normal Power: 147

Average Power: 134

Max Power: 482

VI: 1.1

TSS: 115

IF: 0.73

Goal:

Endurance 

Ride Description:

Hot spin out and back. Felt a bit of the fatigue from yesterday's ride.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 90

Temperature Finish (F): 90

Wind: Breezy

Sky: Partly cloudy

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin

Bottle #2: 20oz Water

Bike:

Felt B10

Brewery Solo 80

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 80.6

Speed Avg (mph): 16,7

Cadence Avg (rpm): 72

Time Moving: 4:51:23

Time Total: 4:59:04
Work (kj): 1995

Normal Power: 136

Average Power: 114

Max Power: 420

VI: 1.19

TSS: 223

IF: 0.68

Goal:

Endurance 

Ride Description:

Not much to say other than it is a joy to get out and spin a few miles especially after having a bad week of indoor training and technical issues.

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 74

Temperature Finish (F): 89

Wind: Calm

Sky: Cloudy

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin

Bottle #2: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin
Bottle #3: 20oz Water
Gu gel at mile 25
Clif Bar at mile 40

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

Felt B10

Comet Cruise

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 40

Speed Avg (mph):  18

Cadence Avg (rpm): 74

Time Moving: 2:14:18

Time Total: 2:18:04
Work (kj): 1001

Normal Power: 136

Average Power: 124

Max Power: 689

VI: 1.09

TSS: 102.7

IF: 0.67

Goal:

Endurance Build

Ride Description:

Just the usual Sunday cruise in typical Georgia heat (WC "Feels like" 97)

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 90

Temperature Finish (F): 93

Wind: Breezy 

Sky: Sunny

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin

GU gel at mile 20

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

Felt B10

Brewery HOT Solo 80

Route and Ride Data Links:

Strava - Ride Link

Ride Metrics:

Distance (mile): 81

Speed Avg (mph): 16.9

Cadence Avg (rpm): 72

Time Moving: 4:51:40

Time Total: 4:58:55
Work (kj): 1990

Normal Power: 134

Average Power: 114

Max Power: 465

VI: 1.18

TSS: 218

IF: 0.67

Goal:

Endurance build

Ride Description:

Out early to beat the heat as best possible. 

Weather:

Temperature Start (F): 78

Temperature Finish (F): 91

Wind: Calm start, breezy finish

Sky: Sunny

Nutrition Intake During and Immediately After:

Bottle #1: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin finished at mile 45

Bottle #2: 24oz Water, BCAA, Glutamine, Maltodextrin finished at mile 80
Bottle #2: 24oz Water finished at mile 80
GU gel at mile 25
Clif Bar at mile 45

Post Ride: 30 gram protein drink

Bike:

LOOK 585