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Jacksonville, FL, United States
In Life as well as in running the secret is Pace.

Monday, December 22, 2014

A change of "Pace"

I loved running…  and I miss running…  I miss the brain in neutral, legs on autopilot, quiet solitude, it was a balm to my soul.
 
But those days have passed…  it's time to add to the list of things I can still do but that I should probably avoid:
 
 
 
1.      Tackle Football…  it was the first to go back in my mid-twenties..  I’m not sure why I was still doing that in the first place
2.      Basketball…  the first knee related stoppage
3.      Ultimate Frisbee – oh how I loved this sport in my 30s and I played like a 10 month old Lab puppy
4.      And now running – I can still do it…  can still do a 22 minute 5k…  but it hurts…  for days
 
 
This was 2014
 
 
2013:
2012:
 
Yes…  the transformation is complete.
 
The great news is that I have found another sport to enjoy...  But... I think it might be time to change the name of the blog.
  
 

Monday, December 15, 2014

The Power weekend

"Power is a quality which enables one to reach one's goals.... Yet a preoccupation with power distracts us from paying attention to what is at the foundation of the world."
          Kurt Godel, 1906 - 1978
 
I subscribe to a "Quote of the Day" newsletter.  The QOTD for Saturday was the above… 
 
Started off by oversleeping.  Had planned to be out the door by 0630 and when I awoke at 0610…  well that wasn't going to happen.  I had arranged to ride for an hour with one of my friends from 0700 to 0800 then meet my wife at 1015 for the final two hours.
 
Waking late basically set me up for 3 hours solo to start.  Not the end of the world.  It was cold…  37F at the start
 
The Plan:
 
4xEPDs in the first and last hour.
 
one 10-15' tempo interval during each of the middle 3 hours. (225-250W, no higher!)
 
So… my first intervals were only 5' into the day.  I broke no records but gave them a go.
 
I noticed soon after my first intervals that I seemed to be both working pretty hard, and going pretty fast, to maintain some underwhelming numbers.  Tailwind, I thought, it must be a tailwind…  so on I rode.  Feeling okay but working.
 
After finishing the first hour I settled into some endurance riding. Endurance (END) power range for me is 160-200 Watts…. I was working pretty hard to hold the lower end.
 
I started the first "tempo Interval"… tried to get the power up to 235ish…  heart rate climbs over 145…  this conversation happens (Goofus and Gallant are the voices in my head":
 
Goofus: "dude you suck"
 
Gallant: "we're going pretty fast"
 
Goofus: "3 minutes into this interval and you can't even hold tempo pace?"
 
Gallant:  "Maybe it's the power meter"
 
Goofus: "maybe you suck…  why do you even do this..  you are a grandpa…. Why don't we smoke a pipe and sit by the fireplace"
 
Gallant: "this is making us better"
 
Goofus:  "you are an idiot"
 
Gallant: "let's stop and see if I can fix this thing"
 
Goofus: "stopping sounds good.  Best idea you have had all day"
 
So I stopped at the store with the idea that if I rebooted my Garmin and re-synched the PM all might be better.
 
I tried a few times both on and of the bike.  No change so on I rode. I did another Tempo by heat rate this time.
 
Then I eased up a bit because I was getting tired.  My average heartrate after 3ish hours was 126 (basically what I'd describe as tempo)
 
I stopped again to meet my wife…  refuel…  peel off a few layers.  I also rebooted my Garmin one more time..  and didn't touch my bike while it recalibrated.  I knew as soon as we started off again that my reading were normal again.  My final tempo was 225 watts at a 126 average HR…  spot on to what I would expect.  The interval ended abruptly when we came upon the scene of a crash.  3 triathletes in a paceline..  a touch of wheels and one of the riders went down.  We stopped checked him over etc…  I think he eventually got back on his bike.
 
The EPDs in the last hour were hard but satisfying.
 
 
Comments:
 
<![if !supportLists]>1.       <![endif]>No pedaling during calibration
<![if !supportLists]>2.       <![endif]>Don't kill yourself over the numbers.  I started to…  and dug a bit of a hole
<![if !supportLists]>3.       <![endif]>I knew that I was 20 minutes short on my workout.  Under the conditions I was fine with that
 
Sunday:
 
The Rx:
10' warmup
5' @ FTP
3' easy spin
5' @ FTP
3' easy spin
5' @ FTP
9' easy spin
20' LOW SST
 
low SST=260
FTP=290
 
After doing the SST interval jump right into 60-75' END riding. Vary cadence and vary position on bike during this time.
 
Got on the trainer…  didn't feel great…  the FTPS kicked my butt…  I struggled through them…  missing target power on all three.
 
I could not hold 260W for the SST…  basically just aimed for an average 130 HR.  for the last hour I just tried to keep my HR and cadence up.
 
 
Super tired after
 
needless to say the Saturday quote holds special meaning to me...
 
  
 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Riding the Trainer (I guess I'm that guy…)



On Black Friday I did a 3 hour training ride on the indoor trainer.
 
To which I got this response:
 
3hrs on the trainer? Wow!  Those are hard rides.   I have about 5-6 of those in me in a season, be careful not to use those all up unless you really need to.    Sort of like timeouts in a football game, keep them close to your chest and use them wisely!   Unless you're one of those strange breeds that has no problem sitting on the trainer for 3hrs!
 
 
I guess I'm that guy…
 
Thought process:
 
Okay, 3 hours steady endurance zone.  I can't ride from home…  too many red lights, stop signs, cars.  So…  I need to get all of my gear together, plan a route, plan a stop for more water etc.  Load everything up, Drive at least 10 miles.  
 
Ride by myself on the same dang road.  It is pretty out there…
 
but I digress.
 
Load the bike up, get out of that wet chamois…  drive home.   Unload, put everything away.
 
The 3 hour ride just took up half of my day.
 
Or
 
Cue up a steady workout on Trainerroad, put the bike on the trainer, find a movie or two. 
 
 
No commute, no redlights, no idiot drivers, no layering of clothing
 
I'd generally prefer riding with my friends but often the trainer trumps riding alone.  J
 
 
 
 
 

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