Strava Craze

I have been really thinking about this whole 'Strava Thing' and really getting excited.  You know how Teenie and I are always saying we can take what we learn on the bike and apply it to our 'lives in general'? I decided to put this into action.

A new Strava segment has been created!  It starts at the side of my bed and goes to just beyond the Miele(our famous coffee maker).   This segment allows me to measure how long it takes to get a cup of coffee made in the morning!

Wow!  Already gains are being made by aggregating small improvements.  I no longer put my slippers on.....just hit the cold floor.   No hair combing, tooth brushing or face washing during this 'segment'.   I am sure to come out of bed in an aero position and with momentum.  All this, I am refining.

No longer do I wait for a message saying beans are needed or the waste container is full.   All of you coffee drinkers from camp, know this disappointment.   I take care of these issues the night before.   No reason to waste a great chance at a PR.....it might stall me on a morning when I have a stiff tailwind!

TWO RANDALLS ......... IS THE END OF THE SEGMENT!

I still have ideas for improvement.   I am going to set the timer to start the coffee maker prior to me getting up.   When I arrive, it will already be through the intensely long HEAT and RINSE cycle.  I hate waiting on these.  Can you imagine???  This is going mean a 20-30 second drop in my time.   I could train for years and never make this type gain.  

Look for me soon as the KOM on this segment.   Oh yes.   The coolest thing about this segment is I am the only one that will be doing it............Teenie, I will be the only one, won't I??

I bet the TEAM can find all kinds of great applications for Strava?  Keep me posted!

Southeastern Race Calendar

You can access a list of 2013 Southeastern USA Cycling race events in the sidebar to the left of this post.  

I will update this list as the year progresses.  In addition I added some links (blue type throughout the document) at the top for sites that you might want to check (eg Carolina Cycling, TBRA, GBRA, etc).

If you would like to add an event send me an email with the details (name, date, type, location).  Some of the dates are "place holders" as the event has not been permitted.

I hope this will help you in planning your 2013 season.  I welcome your comments and additions.

Training in AZ #9

Running a training plan when everything is going right, is pretty easy.   The problem is, everything almost never goes right.   Weather, work, illness, family, and LIFE get in the way.   I call these speed bumps.  

This week, I hit a speed bump.   I won't get detailed but I was violently ill with a stomach virus on Monday night.   I continue to struggle to recover.  I have been out for easy spins on Thursday and today...........still weak.  I have really not resumed training.

With a big training race weekend ahead I am in dilemma.........   The plans were to 'crit race' at a church about 5 miles from our home(I ride my bike over)on Sat and road race at Colossal Cave(where the TEAM ride was at Camp) on Sun.  I like the crit course and I felt it would provide me with anaerobic training which was to have started Tuesday(obviously did not due to sickness).   The RR would be great training for Tour of Battenkill.

It is 2:00PM on Friday and I have not decided what I will do yet.   These A and B races, for me, can be like this.   As competitive as I am, these races are not the end goal but the misstep goal.   TofB and Tour de Moore is what is important.  I am pretty sure I will make the right decision if 'I keep my eye on the donut and not on the hole'.

Some of you may be facing/have faced similar decisions on the Spring Series this year.   Lot's of illness, bad weather, and other things have caused speed bumps.........I would like to know how you have handled your bumps?

Oh, I will keep you posted on what I do about these races!

 

from the archives..........

Since I know some of you are thinking of riding GSTS River Falls this weekend, I was looking for any information I may have that I might share and I came across this little gem from 2010... 

River Falls  3/6/2010

4 weekends of racing with the last three Saturday and Sunday…….. what was I thinking….. denial of biology, or maybe senile……….  BUT I am still here to write about it….. well it is Tuesday and I just now have the energy and can see straight to type a brief report……… but first …. since I thought I lacked sustained power and strength I rode the 178 loop down to Pickens and back clockwise coming back up Cleo Chapman…. I tried to hitch ride back up from Bob’s but no one would pick me up……. I think I set a new record  for slow……

Saturday 3/7….. River Falls Road Race…. 6 loops of a 6.5mile course…. 1 BIG climb (2 tier) then just a fast descent ……right turn rolling down then a 120 degree right into a headwind for a couple of miles until the right at the fire station setting up for the CLIMB….. 50 degrees!  Whoopee… lose the leg warmers…

Tom and I rode the course on Thursday (I don’t have enough gear)…. 6 laps 1 at race pace and then one climb like finishing it…… laid out a game plan (optimists)…. with him sitting in until the curve of the last up tick…. need to be at the front…… (delusional to say the least)……. The girls went off earlier and Giselle made the break of 6 which held and she took 4^th …..   They started us after they finished at the top of the climb so the first lap was all about positioning and the neo’s trying to show who they were (the big dogs were all sitting in…… and the pack filler … that would be me in this case….were glad they were sitting in)…….

Turn at the church….. roll along (33mph) with a couple of bumps (hills but with 40-50 riders you just left it in the big chain-ring turn at the firestation……. OK …. here it goes ….. 1/3 back in the pack…….. road turns up… already in the small chainring…. shifting down…… sitting an spinning…. shift down….. Joe (team mate passes me on the lower hill…… didn’t I tell him not to spend his quarters on the first segment?)….. climb eases a bit… I pass Joe……. his breathing is………..well gulping ……… as the grade turns up…….. shift down……. spin… spin….. top the hill .. 10 back….. all close….. false flat …… spin relax……..

Kamikaze descent… hard right …. so fast through the second curve that several riders almost lose it heading for the lake…. an attack….…. flying…….. ease up…. attack ….. flying..….. back around to fire station….. Joe is gone as are about 1/3 of the pack…. Tom still behind me…… Second climb ……. ditto…… spin, spin…..HR spiking to 170……… sit in ….. stay in contact ….. over the top…….

Kamikaze descent….. sitting about ½ back……… through the curve…. glance over  my shoulder…..only about 8 riders behind me….. not good…….. I am OK…. hit the hard right into the headwind…. an attack  …. merde…..OK third time up “you’re OK” ……just spin up……no I think I will stand ……….  attack goes at the start of the climb……….. riders are standing and jamming the pedals trying to keep contact… into the second section…. grade turns up … the front accelerates …. riders coming back….. Tom goes up the outside…..… hit the BRAKE…NOoooooo … go around ….. gap in front….. latch onto a wheel ……… he blows…..go around bigger gap as we top the climb…..3 bike lengths as we start the Kamikaze descent….. 5 then 7 then 15 then…………

Head down chasing hoping some team slows it down or everyone sits up and waits for the next attack…….. still in sight…. pass 4 riders who have bagged it…….. hoping …. hoping (for what?)….  hit the climb …. they are gone…… 2 more laps …. you never know……. chase …..stay calm……..in the drops …. go …. go…….. not a glimpse of the pack…. catch 2 more riders…….. heading into the 5^th climb…… I am done…. cooked…. burnt toast….. I hear the lead car for the 4’s coming up behind me…….  pull to the left as I cross the start finish……….. 1 more lap……….. It’s that indecisive moment to continue on for more lap following the 4’s or bag it……… actually no indecision here …… I turn into the parking lot……. I hate this race……. I mean it is the first of March…. snow is still on the ground and they are having us race up a mountain every 5.5 miles…….  You would think we were doing Paris Nice…………

Tom hung in finishing 9^th or 10^th in a strung out finish with an exceptional showing…… Joe rode all 6 laps (grit , determination) towing some of the 4’s across the finish line………..   Oh and Mel did the 35+5’s race hanging in 4 of their 5 laps…… 

Future Racers!!!

Jill & Dan McNamara along with Sam Smith introduce future Cyclists from Berea Middle School to Sam's new business...after a 10 mile ride down the Swamp Rabbit Trail, we got them all into their first CORE workout at Greenville Fitness and Rehab, with Sam and Elisa.  Word has it that some were sore after an afternoon on the bike and a "session with Sam".....those "sessions" are tough for us all!!!

Before meeting Sam these kids thought  that "CORE" was a word for only apples and pears!

Mental Technology

Below is an email that my client has given me permission to share with you.  Like George, he is one of the most effective studies I've had the honor to work with.  Your teammate, Samantha is another one.

Please also take the time to watch the exciting YouTube video clip Brent sent.  Quite impressive.  Without sharing personal information about our work together, I will tell you one of my reply to his email was this: Wallow in it!  "We pass through our successes too lightly and too quickly to have them assimilated".  

I am reminded about the initial year I worked with the Hincapie Devo Team.  I asked the first racer I saw after his race "How'd you do?"  He went on to tell me all the things he didn't do right.  I decided I would never ask that question again.  Instead, I ask "Tell me what did you do right?"  I want them thinking about what they DO want, not what they don't.  Our present thoughts determine our future.

I share this with you at the encouragement of Randall.  I offer my knowledge to you, my teammates, should you ever have interest.  It might cost you a glass of wine or lunch, but if you take it and assimilate it, I trust you will have the profound and significant results that me, Randall, and so many have.  Happy pedaling.

From: Brent Bookwalter <brentbookwalter@gmail.com>

Subject: Thank you/update

Date: February 19, 2013 4:56:38 AM MST

To: Christina Maddox <cmaddox@headstrongusa.com>

Hi Christina,

Just wanted to say thanks again for your help earlier this winter.

My season got off to a great start a couple weeks ago.  I won stage 1 at the Tour of Qatar and finished 2nd overall! It had been too long since I had the feeling of crossing the line first.  I think it was even more special because 4 years ago I did this same race it was completely demoralized from it.  I have no doubt that implementing and working on the concepts we discussed went a long way in helping with
those performances so just wanted to again express my appreciation!

here is a video link from the last few kilometers from the race I won.
CLICK HERE FOR UTUBE VIDEO

I hope all is well with you!

Brent

--
Brent Bookwalter

BMC Racing Team
www.brentbookwalter.com

Training in AZ #8

In the last post, I stated hard measurable goals for 2013.   Once bold goals are set, I set mid step goals.   Since some bold goals may take months or even years to reach.  I need goals along the way to tell me if I am on target or not.

Some people call these half step goals.   They are important tools in the process.

These are SOME of mid step goals so you can see what I am talking about:

*  Weigh 185 lbs. by Tucson Bike Classic

*  Complete cornering skills workout at the crit course

* Colossal Cave Omnium(B race)  - podium in each race and omnium.

*  Tucson Bike Classic(B race) -  Top 5 in TT and top 10 in other races and GC

*  Rock Hill Crit and RR(B race) - Help a team member win in both.

* Complete 3 Break Thru workouts/races a week prior to April 7.

These are SMART...Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, targets.

Do you have mid step goals???  Would you share any of them?

Sub Zero Racing

When you race and the temperature stays in the 30‘s, choosing the right amount of clothing can be an important factor. Week number 2 of the Hincapie Spring series was one of those race weekends you would never forget. Saturday at Fork Shoals the outlook was sleet, snow, rain and 37 degrees at race begin. It snowed in the parking lot. So I went with my rain jacket, 2 base layers and my jersey. They put the 40 and 50 year old masters together because only 35 stupid old guys showed up for the race, but with the 40 year old masters there was enough horsepower to make it an exciting race. 

I knew after the first climb that I was overdressed, after the second climb I was cooking and in the second lap I felt that I was in a sauna. I could‘t breathe. I unzipped my jacket. I even unzipped my jersey to no avail. Unfortunately I am not a racer that can take off there jacket during a race. Well to make a story short, I stayed with the front group until 2 miles before the finish and called it a day. Problems with my shifter did not help my situation either. To shift down I had to shift down twice and up once. Very annoying. 

Sunday would be different. I got up and looked out the window and saw a blue sky. Nice I thought, well until I saw the outside thermometer. 16 degrees fahrenheit. The coldest day of this winter so far. Well it made sense, everything was covered in snow. I was waiting for a call or text from my daughter who races 2 hours before my race. Seriously I was sure they would call it off. I mean even church service was canceled. Well the call came and the message was that the streets are dry at Donaldson and everything would take place as scheduled. 

So now what I thought. I packed everything, left the house and after driving 5 miles I noticed that I forgot my bike. Is this the sign that I was waiting for. Maybe I am not supposed to race? Well I went home and my wife was waiting for me in the drive way with my bicycle. Obviously for her this was hilarious. At Donaldson the wind was blowing at about 15 to 20 miles per hour. I was already shaking when I got out of the car. Well I did have one less base layer and instead of the rain jacket a vest. 

At the start I was told that the 50+ masters would do their own race today. There were 21 of us. Waiting at the line my legs were uncontrollably shaking. After the race started I warmed up fast and was happy that this time I choose the right wardrobe. In the second lap 5 men got away and I thought to myself that the race is over. Well never underestimate the Headstrong train. 2 of my amazing teammates, Joe and Bobby, myself and 3 other racers caught the breakaway within 2 laps. It proves to never give up! So now the cards would be reshuffled. My adrenaline was pumping now. In lap no 5 a new break with 8 riders formed. Joe and I made the cut. To tell you the truth this was my first ever breakaway in a race. All of a sudden I find myself yelling at everyone to get this organized and make a pace line. Silence! We make a pace line and everybody rotates. Wow they listened to me.

Joe and I still need to work on our sprint tactics. We took the last 2 spots of the breakaway, then again half the group did not race the day before. Still we were very happy with our results that day and said to ourselves it can only get better. Most of all I know what to wear when racing in the 30ties.  

Tucson Winter Camp 2013

Thanks to Randall and Teenie for hosting us in Oro Valley for 5 days of great cycling, food, and friendship....

The Beast, the kid, special K, gohardorgohome, lil' engine, DS, T, Lindzanator, Shake&Bake, Sunshine, Em, the Don, Mel, D&J, April, Craig, Deb.... just a great group ...

Let's get a list of comments going...... add yours...

Winning Teams and Learning Teams

When I was teaching effective thinking skills to executives or pro and collegiate athletes, I often ran up against the belief with these groups and individuals that errors were wrong and that mistakes were to be avoided at all costs.  The members stopped bringing their bright ideas to the leadership for fear of failure.  The risk was just too great.  The old adage was that there was "winning teams and loosing teams".  And losing had little value except to provide humiliation in that weak culture.

How did these businesses and teams grow and thrive?  Most didn't.  They remained status quo; stuck in their current situation while the competition passed them by.  Some learned how to fail and changed.  They realized there were "Winning Teams and Learning Teams".  Yesterday, I was on the Learning Team.

Somewhere I had picked up a habit--a belief, maybe...definitely a limiting belief as in one that was not serving me. The challenge, however, much like the organizations and professionals I worked with, I didn't know I had this limiting belief, this scotoma (Greek for blindness; a blind spot in a field of vision).

Here's the story: Saturday I lined up to race at the University of Arizona Crit with about 25 competitive women in a CAT 3/4 race.  Many of these women I had time-trialed against the day prior and beat by 2 or more minutes in a 20K.  I had a chance at a podium placement.


After a few laps I was dropped.  I continued to race hard, teaming with others, taking more than my share of the pulls in the small grupetto in an attempt to reconnect and get back on the lead train.  But that was not to be the case.  As I rode hard I kept wondering what was going on?  Maybe I need more training?  Maybe I should only race CAT 4 races.  Was I too old (56) to be racing with these women?  Should I lose a few more pounds?  And then I realized it.  SMACK!  As I dove into each turn I had stopped pedaling.  I stopped pedaling!   Later Randall and my power file would confirm my epiphany.

Somewhere I had acquired a belief that if I pedaled in the turns I would crash.  I didn't always do this and I had no idea that this belief existed until that epiphany moment about halfway through the race when I realized I lost ground on each and every turn and had to work like the devil to get back on with the grupetto.

Ricardo Hincapie, George's dad, once told me that he was not as fit or fast as the riders he races against on Tuesday evenings at SCTAC in Greenville, SC.  But, he said, my skills are better than most and so often, I win.

The best lessons are those we experience.  Humiliated as I was.  As P#&&%@-off, as I was, I realized the lesson was invaluable and so I share it with you.  What limiting beliefs do you hold that are holding you back?

Team Camp Preparations

You have all heard the talk and read the reports on here. People are getting ready for team camp in Tucson, AZ. It’s obvious that some started their training earlier than others, and some of us are just now starting to put in some real training camp preparations.  I’m one of those that decided to prep a little later for Camp. However, I am writing this to report that I have stepped up that preparation in anticipation of a challenging week, and I’m pleased with my recent progress.

I started my interval training this week and it has gone better than expected. I have never wanted to do intervals in January as it’s pretty early in the season, but I decided that camp is pretty important. We’re going to have almost the entire team in AZ, and I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of all my teammates. I will say that it was easier than I thought to start my intervals early this year. So easy, in fact, that in addition to the regular intervals, I snuck in one 2-a-day this week.

I didn’t want to overdo the intervals too early, so I started with two bowls of cereal every morning instead of one. You can’t expect results if you don’t do the work, so I just did it. Just poured a second bowl right after the first and ate it! It took some getting used to, but by Wed, I was eating the second bowl with ease. I also ate one banana at about 10am and one at about 4pm. I read that it’s important to have at least a 5 hour recovery between bananas because they contain a decent amount of fiber. I can’t over tax my system too early in the season or my BM score goes up too high.

When I saw how easy the cereal intervals were going, I decided to add some egg intervals. Eggs take longer to cook than eating cereal, so I’m trying to build 2 systems at once. The shorter bowl-of-cereal intervals help me with my speed, but the longer egg cooking intervals build more endurance. I have to tolerate more aroma build up in the kitchen which really helps me temper my breakfast enthusiasm, resulting in a lower RER (ravenous eating rate). If I can convince Sam to join me, we’re going to add some even longer oatmeal intervals next week to really get sharp for camp. By the time we show up, we should be ready for anything.

Just for kicks I also added a sushi interval this week to see how my body would react. I anticipated that the Tuesday/Thursday repeat would be a little traumatic, but I was able to order quickly and I didn’t loose form with the chopsticks on the second interval. That’s the kind of consistent performance I normally expect after a couple months of practice, so I was super pleased.

Before you think my camp preparation is all about intervals let me cut you off right there. I have not neglected my skills development either. You can’t expect to show up for camp and have a good time without some skills development. Sam has been helping me with these, as my skills sometimes fall short of my fitness. She’s reviewed the instructions for running the dishwasher and clothes washer so I can do it consistently with the right technique. She keeps stressing that it only takes one little mistake to cause a catastrophe. And, remember, when it comes to skills and techniques, you don’t just put yourself at risk. You can hurt your teammates as well.

It’s not just the practical side of skills development that counts either. You have to hardwire some of this stuff into your brain so you can perform consistently when it matters most. That’s why Sam’s helped me with a checklist to review daily. This is helping some of this become second nature. You might recognize that some of these skills are fairly challenging for some people. See if you have mastery as well:

• Make the bed (and make it pretty not just pull the covers up)
• No cleats in the house
• No sitting on furniture in wet riding gear
• Laundry goes in your white bag
• No leaning the bikes on the garage wall
• Put your bottles in the bottle dishwasher

I’m sure you probably have some more that you focus on personally, but I can’t bite off more than I can chew this early in the season. If I get these skills down before camp I’ll have a lot more fun with everyone.

As you can see, I’ve really stepped up my preparation and I’ll be ready for team camp next week. I hope that your interval training and skills development is at a point where you can participate and have a good time in Tucson. Last year was a lot of fun and I’m sure this year will be even better.

Training in AZ #7

Before I get down to actual 'training talk', I need to share my goals.  Teenie & Co. have taught me that these goals are the starting point of action.  They guide and direct preparation.

Of course, I have life goals, financial goals, TEAM goals......for this post, I am sticking to individual cycling goals.  In my case, RACE GOALS:

*   Tour of Battenkill - 4/14 - Cambridge, NY.  65 mile RR - 5000 ft of climbing - Paris Rubiaux of US...The Hell of the North.  This is the largest amateur bike race in the US.  Over 3000 racers.   Last year there were 65 men in the 60+ field.  GOAL IS TOP 10 FINISH.

*  Tour de Moore - 4/28 - Southern Pines, NC. -  One of the oldest RR's in the US.  I am going to race the 60+ and then race the 50+ same day.  GOAL IS TO WIN THE 60+/ TOP 10 IN THE 50.

*  3 Endurance MTB races - GOAL IS TO PARTICIPATE SAFELY AND HAVE FUN.
-  Dawn to Dusk - 12/1/2013 - Raced duo with Teenie.  Finished 12th.  DONE!!
-  12 Hours at Tsali - 5/10 - Race with TEAM.
-  TBA - Fall of 2013

*  Barouse de Bales - 8/10 - Cyclosportive in the Pyrenees.  70 miles with huge climbing including Port de Bales(TdF HC rated climb).  Hundreds of participants.  GOAL IS PODIUM FINISH AND GOLD AWARD IN 60+.

You can see these goals are specific and measurable.....not a lot of wiggle room in these.   I have been working on these for months.

Once in my business life, our company created a 'new business'.   We set goals and reached them but almost went bankrupt.   One of our partners said, " Chief, we really need to be careful about the goals we set, because we are pretty good at reaching them".   Henceforth, I have been more thoughtful.

As Teenie will tell you, sharing these goals can be risky but the payoff can be great.

My next post will cover, what we call, 'misstep goals'.........the little goals that support the big goals.   After, I will get to the preparation going on out here in AZ and it will make more sense!

Hopefully, as a reader of these BLOGS, you will take away things that will help you in your journey, on and off the bike.  

Training in AZ #6

The best kind of training is racing.   We started this weekend with the first TT of the season, Race Against Time at Picacho Peak, AZ.

Picacho Peak.

Sunday is TT day out here and we braved threats of rain and strong winds out of the South.

These TT's are kind of amazing in AZ as this one drew about 300 people.....more than our SC State TT Championship.

There were 12 men in my 60-64 MM age group.   You couldn't get that many old guys together in SC if you paid $100 each in 'show money'.

We made the mistake of signing up late and getting a late start time.   We got to sleep later but in AZ, the wind blows harder and harder as the day progresses.   None the less, our goal was training and it was great for that.

The road was newly paved..........after 53 years, according to Bake, AZ does this whether needed or not.   We went out slightly down hill and with the wind.......the 10K out for me was achieved in 12:30....nearly 30mph.   The fun started at the turn and was over almost 19 minutes later.   I failed to hold 20mph coming back.   Sixth in my AG...pretty normal for me.   My power file looked identical to half a dozen more I have archived from past years.

Feedback:  All improvement in my cycling has come from loss of weight.....little help on a flat TT.  Even though I am aging (a brilliant statement), I am not losing power....yet.

Teenie was rolling in better form.   She turned in a 33:19 for 1st in her AG.........looking at the results on a bigger scale, she was 3rd against all Master Women.   She would have been 2nd in the Cat 3 and 3rd in the Cat 1/2 Women........a good day for her.

Our aerobic fitness looked strong.   We had NO decoupling......that is our power:HR ratio was less than 5% meaning we had almost no HR drift.

Our pacing was good....we each held the same power output coming in as going out.   It is very common for the power output to fall as the time ticks off. This was not the case for us.

This type of racing is great for this part of our training cycle, as we work on increasing our 60 minute power threshold.   We do 'cruise intervals' when training but racing brings out the ultimate effort.

We were both very tired last night....interesting how taxing a 30 minute 'all out' effort can be!

We have Flap Jack Flats next Sunday.....a 30K TT.  It is anything but flat.  We do eat pancakes after, hence the Flap Jack name.   Teenie is considering the UofA Crit Saturday as a bunch of her pals are doing it.   I am not likely a player as my CAT goes off at 7:30.   It gets light about that time.   I will cheer her on if she races.  Crits are of little training value in this part of our cycle.  Sometimes though, it is worth doing something just FOR FUN.  Ask the Linzanator about her Short Track MTB race........a crit on dirt.

Train hard, CAMP is just around the corner!

  

Training in AZ #5

Now is the time to get your equipment right.   Equipment includes clothing, shoes, helmet and bike.  I am going to concentrate on the bike in this BLOG.

I suppose most of you are like me.  At this point, we have the bike/bikes we are going to ride in training and racing.  We are not in the market for a bike so what's the deal??

There are four main areas of opportunity!   

Maintenance is the easiest to cover.   It starts with washing your bike.   You didn't have to read this blog to know to wash your bike, but washing is the time when you can look over your steed with " a fine tooth comb".   Tires, chain, cables, chain, brake pads and adjustments of these are some of the areas for scrutiny.   Check your frame for cracks.   My SL4 wrecked at TdeT,  is gone.   A crack in the chain stay has run (over the last two months) and I am having to procure a replacement frame. 

Wheels are another issue.   You should have set your goals for the season by now.   Do you have the best wheels for the job?   Boyd Cycling has great prices for the TEAM and a wide line of specialty wheels.   Having the correct wheel/tire combo can be a big deal.

Bike fit is one of the most important issues.  You are going to be putting a lot of miles on your bike.   Comfort is not the main thing.  You can feel comfortable and not be efficient.   You can feel comfortable and end up with a repetitive use injury.   Go to a pro......I like Retul Fit Systems.  We have local providers.

The best I saved for last....GEARING.  You need the right gearing for you and what you are doing.   This includes the front gears where we now have 3 choices:  53/39 (traditional), 50/34 (compact) and 52/36 (new mid compact).   Our terrain favors the latter 2 for most riders on our team.   The back cassette offers many more options.   It is likely that you might need a couple of cassettes for different terrain and races.   You can buy the tools to change these for less than $50 and quickly learn to do so.  A cassette change is 5 minutes once you have mastered it.  

Teenie and I each use different combos:

Teenie:  52/36 mid compact and 11/28 rear (climbing) and 11/26 (all other terrain-crits and RR's).

DS:  50/34 compact and 11/28 rear (climbing) and 11/23 (all other terrain).    I have a second bike with at 53/39 - 12/25 and I love it for crits and rolling RR's.  I always leave it in 'the barn' when climbing.   It will NOT go to the Pyrenees this summer. 

You can check with one of your team mates....Bird, Hoodster just to name a couple.  If they know your riding style, strength and your goals, they can help.   Carolina Tri, our sponsor, has knowledge......in the end, you should make your own choices.   I will always help.

One note on the importance of gearing.  I know one rider who moved to this area from a very flat region.  The rider kept riding big gears and had poor results.   Today,  this rider BELIEVES that he/she can not climb.  

Of course, you still have to pedal the bike........we'll talk more about this next time.

     

    

G'ville Training

We may not be riding in short sleeves and bare legs but the TEAM headstrong EAST has been putting the miles.... Dan led the UWBL B ride with Jill, Brian, Emily, Mel, Debi, and I joining about 20 other riders for a beautiful day riding out to Possum Kingdom and back..  We (Brandon actually) has set up a TEAM headstrong on Strava, so if you are game, you can upload your workout files and join the Strava headstrong team.



We all stopped by Sam's grand opening after the ride with a show of support and best wishes for great success in 2013 in her new endeavor.

Oh and Randall.... Brandon is at the top of his game, the Hoods are training like they are heading to Europe for the spring classics, Bake doesn't even break a sweat going up the watershed, Emily is flying, Kendra has the spin working, Brian is already sprinting, and Sam has her game face on........ 2 weeks and counting...... East comes West....

Training in AZ #4

Feedback is a very important part of training and life.   We set out to reach goals and it is feedback that tells us if we are on/off course.   There are different forms of feedback:

RPE - Rate of Perceived Exertion - how does a work out or effort FEEL.   There is other similar feedback types...Rate of Perceived Fatigue.....you get the idea.   How does it feel?

HR - Easily measured with cheap devices......tells us our HR response to various efforts.

Power - You need about a $1500 device.   Measure the absolute work rate and cumulation.  You can measure Training Stress, Intensity, Power Threshold.....lots of cool stuff.  You need an education or a coach to know what the heck this means.

Speed on known stretch of road or climb -  Cool new App called Strava can help you on this but it is pretty easy.....like how fast am climbing Paris MT today vs last year.

Results on ride or in race against known riders - This is sort of like:  How did I do on SCTAC A group this year compared to 2 years ago?  How am riding compare to.............??

All these are viable and can/should be used simultaneously to measure gain or lack of gain.   One can then assess if there is movement toward the goals or NOT?

This week, Teenie and I rode out through Gates Pass......a ride we do often.   I made the climb through the Pass in Zone 4...near threshold but certainly not at race pace or TT pace.   I looked back about 2 years to climb a did at a described pace as 'race' and the HR response indicates it was all out.

So here ya go:

                                       2/4/11                                      1/16/13

Duration:                        12:14                                         11:45

Watts:                             287                                            283

HR avg BPM                 166                                            146

HR max BPM                171                                            158

Speed mph                     12.4                                           12.7

Cadence                         83                                              77

How would you analyze this comparison.    Gain/no gain???   More important.....what has changed and why??   This, of course, is only one piece of data but maybe an important one?

Train hard.

Training in AZ #3

We lost paradise the last few days here in AZ.  We experienced record temps and hard freezes the last two nights.

Teenie and I had a hard 3-4 hour ride scheduled yesterday but I never got going.   The wind was out of the north and biting.   No doubt, at ride time, the wind chill factor was in the low 30's.   All I had in me was 'QUIT'.........when I ask Teenie to abort, she was not surprised.   She said I am on 999x so she would let me off once..........somebody needs to check her math!

When I woke up this AM, I pushed the Miele for '2 Randall's' and then hit the iPhone for the WEATHER.  NOW it was 18 and 'feels like' 11........oh my!

A hike was a fall back but I was really concerned about my attitude and I wanted an adjustment.  At 1 PM,  the Stumpjumper and I rolled out headed north into the wind.   At one point, going slightly up hill along a smooth walking path, I might have been going 3mph?  Just no guts in my pedal stroke.   I kept wanting to turn around but some extraterrestial force kept the bike headed toward the desert.   Fifty minutes into the ride, I reach the rugged dirt road that leads into the desert valley east of the Tortolita Mountains and west of the Catalinas.   To give you and idea, I usually get to this point in less than 40 minutes.

Five to ten minutes later, I was on single track.   The cold went away!  I am not sure if it warmed up, I was working harder, going slower or the desert bush was giving me some cover.  Without thinking, I was riding much more aggressively.

I was getting my mojo back and not even realizing it.   After a long time(not sure how long?),  I found a new trail in this pic. It was not only new to me, but newly cut.  Stoked, I took off in the opposite direction of home.  After a couple of miles, shadows began to grow and I realized the day was getting away.  To my left, I spotted a road and after a quick bite, decided to leave the rest of the discovery for another day.......how far did this trail go??   Maybe to Utah??

Back on the road, I felt like I had wings........at least until it turned right in a deep sandy area and my bike flew out from under me.  I catapulted into a huge bush(the only one in the entire region without thorns!). 

As I reached civilization, my phone rang.   It had to be Teenie as I had been gone for 3+ hours and I was 45 minutes from home still.  No search party needed.

The weather looks good for the upcoming days and most importantly, I feel more motivated.   I realize you guys face these type issues in SC....even more so.   How are YOU keeping it going?

  

 

TRAINING IN AZ #2

Prior to coming out to AZ this year, I made a personal commitment to cross train.   I felt like I had made gains in Sam's class and more recently in yoga in Greenville.  I had been regularly mountain biking, enjoying the full body workout it provides.

As I set here tonight, I am convinced that mountain biking, hiking, yoga, core class with Sam and other forms of cross training can add to my overall fitness, wellness,  and cycling performance.  

Last week, I got started on my commitment.  I have had 3 MTB outings in the last days.  This week, I downloaded a yoga video on iTunes and knocked out a couple of sessions but today, Teenie helped me raise the bar.

During dinner Thursday, she committed us to hike this morning as we stared at a predicted low of 25F.  Mary and Doug Martin, our neighbors would lead the way.    I told them I felt Pusch Ridge was bold for our first hike.   They thought I meant our first hike in AZ this year.   I meant our FIRST HIKE.....ever.   We collected them at 9:00 and made the full 8 minute ride to the trailhead.  

Off we went following Doug as he scampered up a pretty smooth trail with about a 5% incline.  Before long, we are headed up,up, up over boulders and loose rocks.   Working, at times, on our hands.   I picked up some cactus along the way but it wouldn't be a real AZ hike if someone didn't get stuck a few times!

After 50 hard working minutes we reached the apex and shot a pic of Oro Valley as it stretched out below.

We chatted, congratulated each other and after about 15 minutes, we headed back down.   AZ is a rocky place and I slipped once, landing on my bum.   There were a couple of hair raising moments.   I guess the thrill is part of why we do this stuff.

Back at the car, our leaders realized it was our FIRST HIKE.....they said, "Wow, if we had known this was your first hike, we would have never taken you up there!".......Well, I am telling about it so I guess it was OK.   On the way home, I extracted a commitment from them for Feb 16 so we could take Bird and Anne up Pusch Ridge.   They are pros, so we will extend the hike with about a 2 mile loop.  And Teenie?  She was born ready.

We are also planning to take Anne/Bird on a 4 hour route to Romero Pools in the Catalinas.

Next week, will certainly find us back out on foot somewhere.

CROSS TRAINING......DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOUR PLAN?

Hey, this crazy stuff is FUN!  and it is a lot warmer than road biking.

Saturday's Hoodster "roll"

Let me start by saying what a great turnout....19 riders 16 TEAM headstrong........ Hoodster led the citroen train out in the brisk, I mean brisk morning chill for our inaugural 2013 team training ride with a focus on our upcoming Tucson Camp.  As with any Hoodster ride, point A to B is never simple.... more turns and dips than a Coney Island roller coaster.

And not a mile out we "juked" to the right on a quick dip and rise up through a chicane that had the riders scrambling for the right gear.......



As with any early winter ride you have your share of mechanicals, trying to get the right combination of clothes to work, and in sizing up the ride, the riders and your efforts.

On a whole the ride was perfect for me.... a few efforts to generate some heat, test the legs, and lungs.. but largely just a "paced" ride..

That said, everyone is in a different state at this time of year.  Some have the luxury of training in warm, dry climates, some have ample free time while others are challenged by work, family, and/or daylight.   It is important to put all this in perspective as you start a new season.  

Ride accordingly to what you need... Sit in.... Take a pull.... Let 'em go..... test the legs if you want, but let it come back or wait........ and speak up... communicate...

Enjoy the ride and then reflect on where you are at in your fitness and what YOU need to be doing... it is a long season..

Thanks John for hosting the ride.... see you Saturday..

Training in AZ - #1

I hope to write a series of Blogs in the weeks to come about our training experience here in AZ.   My goal is to communicate information that I hope the readers of this BLOG can use to improve their efforts and results this winter.

The important thing to remember is we are NOT working, taking care of kids or...........we lead pretty low stress lives with 8-9 hours of sleep a night.   We have day after day of great weather.  So, trying to follow our program, could be a train wreck!   However, this could be source of ideas and info for you. 

We had a sound week(our first week here) of volume with some Z3 intervals which represented our first week with any real intensity.   Teenie was almost 15 hours in the saddle and I was close to 17.

Above is Teenie's file from some short climbing intervals(20 mins ea) on Mt Lemmon on 1/6/2013.   This was a really short workout on very tired legs.   Good speed, Teenie!  9.2 mph!  She is in a very good place as far as fitness for this time of year.

We encountered road side snow at the 6 mile marker and this pic was taken near the 7 mile marker.

We were able to climb in short sleeves and Teenie was bare legs as the temp was very warm.   Of course, when we head down, armies, leggies and vests were needed.

The wind was high and Sunday brought a lot of traffic to the mountain.   We were told that a lot of people were going up to sled where the snow was still heavy.  We took it very slowly going down.

Training plans and activities need a framework that consists of season goals, training/midstep goals, a race schedule, assessment of limiters and opportunities and other items.   In the weeks to come, I will touch on these as Teenie and I have addressed them.

Meantime, I hope you had a great holiday season and that you are having some time to mentally and physically prepare for the season ahead!