No Pain, No Gain…Power Details from last night

The last 30 minutes of this ride were BRUTAL…simulated hilly endurance on the trainer.  I had to use the biggest gear on a mag trainer to get the rpms and power to match what was needed for hills in zone 4-5a for 3 mins every half hour.  Only did the Hills for the first 3 1/2 hrs.  Probably could have done more but I was being stubborn and did not want to waste time going upstairs for more water…even though I had gone through a 1/2 gallon already.  Started conserving my last two bottles with 1 1/2 hrs to go and still ran out with 45 minute to go…coffee + indoor rides = SWEATING!  Gave in and filled one last bottle upstairs to finish out the 5 hrs.  I think I was behind on water and sugar at this point though because of trying to conserve and not “waste time” running upstairs or wake up my family.  But rides like this are all about overcompensation on the fluids and food.  Try to conserve and end up behind.  This actually wastes more time by not putting down good power when behind on energy and then longer recovery time needed the days after the ride.

Other news….and things I watch to be motivated for rides as such…

What was Sven Nys doing here?  Were those tactics to keep Pauwels from the front and away from Stybar so they could not work together?  Looked a little fishy especially with only 2 points separating them in the Series Overall?  Does Nys  usually ride that much worse than Stybar in the tech stuff?  It looked on purpose to keep him and Pauwels from the front… anyone know why the bike switch by Pauwels?

After seeing his performance in last years Tour de France I think Gesink is a man to watch.  Looks like good form early on…

And with a TT like this it looks like he may be working on what is needed to be competitive…climbing and TT’s.  Cancellara may have had a bad day, but when you can beat the World Champ you may want to count TT’s as one of your strong cycling disciplines.

Thanks for reading and watching.

1st Threshold Test, Power to Weight Ratios, & Base 2

Last week Saturday I attended the BE Fitness ride again for some Computrainer time.  It was the end of a rest week, so a test of fitness was on the schedule.  My buddy Chris Franson borrowed me a book a while back called “Training and Racing with a Power Meter”.  According to this chart in the book, my first intensity ride of the year has me in the Cat 1 level for racing.  This is encouraging as I have done no threshold training yet this year in any form and it is a very trainable number.  My goal is Div. I/II Pro  by time the season hits.  The science behind this is simple, less weight and more power.  This is a fine balance, because the more weight you take off the more power you can lose if it is not done right.  I will drop about 5 LBS. to do this and hopefully gain 50+ watts.   I am pretty excited about these nerdy numbers because I have never trained this way, but have a very real fitness goal that has actual data to measure it and not just how I “feel” about a group ride or race any given weekend.

Power to weight ratios and corresponding Race Categories

If you want  to calculate your numbers for this chart it is really simple.  Just get on the scale…then scream and yell and cry …after that episode use a converter to get your weight in Kilograms, assuming you are American.  Then divide the avg watts you can hold in a 20 min TT by your weight in kilograms.  This will give you a number which is a good estimate on your power to weight ratio for your Lactate Threshold.  If sprinting is your thing, or short BMX races, or Track, then the shorter durations in the chart may be of more interest to you, but for Cross Country and Road Racing/ Time Trials the Lactate Threshold numbers are of utmost importance.

As for my training now, Base 2 has started for me and I really enjoy a bit of tempo mixed in with my endurance rides.  Looking forward to pushing the pace on group rides soon enough and maybe some road racing in about a month.

In other news, Lindsay is teaching my daughters that packing a lunch for Daddy is a part of their morning routine and as I walk out the door for school I love hearing all about what they made for me.

Here is a surprise I found in my lunchbox I was not told about this morning.

Thanks Charis (my three year old)!

I will let you all know her exact artistic interpretations after I ask her tonight.

Awesome British Colombia Mountain Bike Video and a Sneak Peak

This video is done really, really, well!  My buddy Chris Washburn shared this with me and  I enjoyed it so much I figured you all needed to see right away.  It also kind of relates to some things happening in the sponsors area.

I love how this was filmed, quality is amazing, should have edited out the swear though to be more kid/parent friendly.  If we are going get this sport into the High School/youth sports we need to have a level of professionalism in all our media, which this displays in all respects but that one.  The attitude may sell in the short run, cause kids think it is cool, but in my opinion long term survival and depth of culture will only happen when the public can put a stamp of approval on it.  I am just saying that some of the “extreme sports” have an image that those with unprofessional lives do them, or unsuccessful people give their lives to them.  There is a reason why we don’t have many High School skateboarding teams even though we have tons and tons of kids who want to skateboard and compete.  I think this image is a part of it.  Now this has nothing to do with style, but rather what the image and behavior says about the inward character of the sport and the people involved.  To let that one…little…no big deal…word slip through when editing causes a lot of other questions to come along with anyone viewing the sport from the outside, especially if we are going to promote it with youth.  OK, rant over, just have a strong desire for this sport to grow and become an integral part of our communities, and giving my two cents to help that along.

I am really excited and happy to be welcoming on a company who is based in the same area as these guys and therefore has a similar passion and vision for mountain biking.

Can you guess who it is?

Man I miss pushing the edge like that….Sea Otter here I come!

Weekend Re-cap: Base Miles, Powerbar Reload, All Systems GO!

Training this past weekend was the end of my base 1 period for 2011.  This was actually the second time I completed a base 1 period this year, as I was really sick at the beginning of January and decided to just start over.  So the cardio is there, but the last weekend of base periods is always the hardest part of training.

Training is all about pushing the edge of what your body can handle without doing harm so then it builds back stronger.  If the edge is pushed too far the body fails to build back and actually is hurt by the “training”.  So if done right, the last weekend of base should be at the edge of what my body can handle in endurance, but not going over. 

Lindsay has nicknamed me knight rider, because the kids get in bed and I hit the trainer sometimes for up to 5 hours.  It has actually gotten to the point where she hums the theme song and smiles at me after we get the kids in bed…This weekend was no exception.

Friday: I hit the trainer for a steady 2 hour ride around 9 pm to open up my legs a bit  for the next day at BE fitness.  I had taken Thursday off and was a  little stiff from not riding. 

Saturday: I was up early to head over to BE for some more computrainer time, but no Ironman Kona course this time around.

Solid 4 hours and the wattage is good.  Supplied gels, gel blasts, and powerbars for everybody.  Although I did find myself alone for the last hour, there is nothing like a “group ride” even if it is indoor and simulated.  We actually went through my last stash of powerbars at this ride so it was a good thing when I got home to find…..

My 1 year old Kyle trying to eat all the new powerbars that came in…really though, he goes through more than I do if we don’t lock the cabinet.  He liked the plastic air bag packaging in his hands better than any toys or treats we could have given him though.

Sunday:  I thought I may get my ride in before the Superbowl, but Lindsay has to workout too, so she went to the YMCA with Asa and did some rock climbing and cardio stuff.  We went to a friends house for the Superbbowl which was fun, but the whole time I am thinking about how late it will go and how late will it be by the time I get on the bike?  Fun was over around 9 pm, Asa in bed at 9:30 pm, on the bike by 10 pm and my final ride of Base 1 done at 3 AM….

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”

“Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.”

“Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure, and the temporary failures.”

I like watching football because I enjoy competition in almost any form, so I guess these quotes from Lombardi are relevant here as Green Bay was the under dog who are now champions through adversity

Rest week is happening and 1-2 hour rides max all week with a test on the computrainer Saturday to see where threshold is at.  Body is finally feeling close to 100% recovered from the sickness.  I know I said I would have sponsor/team announcements by this week, but opportunities just keep opening up and getting better, so I need to delay a week…I sure hope my kit company this year has a good turn around time….

Thanks for reading,

Nathan