I know this has no bearing on training, but I’m excited that I finally ditched my three old flip phone. 
What’s even MORE exciting is that I finally ditched Sprint.  They were just TERRIBLE in my area.  Everybody I know on Verizon NEVER drop calls.  Can’t even imagine what that like after dealing with 2-3 drop calls a day with Sprint. 

Anyways, this is my new toy.  I have no idea how to use it.  The battery is charging.  Figured once that is done then I’ll dive into the owners manual.

I’m about 99% finished with my 2009 training plan.  Just reviewing my periods to make sure my limiters are getting enough attention.  Below is a screen capture of the off-season.  The only part I’m questioning here is the two Build 1 periods.  Build 1 is a bridge between Base and Build 2.  Not sure if I should just have one Build 1 period and either extend Base periods or start Build 2 instead.  I guess I’ll wait till it gets closer to that time and decide then.

I did customize Friel’s spreadsheet for my needs.  I spend a lot of time at the gym and in spin class and last year I had a hard time accounting for those hours in my plan.  As you can see below, I added three columns so I can plan the amount of time in the gym, in spin class and actually in the saddle.

By Joe Friel’s Mountain Bike Training Bible

Periodization is a training concept in which the year is divided into distinct periods, with each having a particular purpose in preparing the athlete for the stresses of racing.  As the training year progresses, a properly periodized program gradually causes the athlete to adapt to the specific conditions of the targeted races. 

The basic premise of Periodization is that training should progress from creating general fitness to producing fitness that exactly matches the demands of the most important races of the year…In the annual training plan you create…the season will be divided into six distinct periods;

PREPARATION
In the late fall or early winter, following a break from training, fitness development is the most general of the entire season.  Cross-training with weights and aerobic activities such as running, skiing or swimming prepares the athlete for the next period.  This is a period of ‘training to train’ that may last three to eight weeks. 

BASE
In this 6-12 week block, on-bike training gradually replaces cross-training.  Base is divided into three subperiods-Base 1, Base 2, and Base 3-of three to four weeks each.  The last few days (up to a week) of each of these is devoted to rest, recovery and testing.  The training emphasis in all three is on the basic abilities of endurance, force and speed skills. 

BUILD
In the period the specific demands of racing are paramount.  That usually means more time devoted to the higher abilities of muscular endurance, anaerobic endurance and power….Build 1, when the body is cautiously allowed to adjust to anaerobic training, is a bridge between Base 3 and Build 2.  Build 1 and Build 2 may each last three to four weeks with rest and recovery in the last few days of each [week]. 

PEAK
A peak period may last one or two weeks.  During this time, volume is gradually reduced and workouts become like miniraces.  In fact, low-priority racing is a great way to help produce a peak.  About every 72 hours, include a workout that simulates the intensity and conditions of the targeted race, but for less than race duration…All other workouts are for recovery.

RACE
This is the period for which you’ve been preparing for weeks.  Physical fitness high, mental skills are sharp and race readiness is high.  One brief, race-specific workout about four days before before the big race, with lots of rest on either side of it, will ensure mental and physical peak….Remember, the longer this period is stretched out, the great the risk of losing fitness due to decreased training.  [2 weeks max]

TRANSITION
following a race period, it’s generally a good idea to take a break from training to allow for physical and mental transition from the Race period before starting a buildup to a new peak.  The transition period following a midseason Race period may only be a week long.  The purpose of the Transition period is rest and recovery.

By Chris Carmichael’s The Ultimate Ride

What separates talented athletes from champions?  Oftentimes, the answer lies in the way they approach training and competition.  Those who approach cycling as a solely athletic challenge often fall short of their true potential.  True champions, on the other hand, understand that realizing their potential requires a holistic approach to success.  Athletic success results from training the mind and body to work as one.  Mental training is as critical to achievement as physical training, and an athlete’s mental approach to training and competition often makes the difference between standing on the top step of the podium and watching the awards ceremony from a distance. 

Sports psychology is important, because you have to be mentally prepared for the demands of training and competition.  There are some aspects of cycling that are predictable:  you will have to put in many hours of hard training, you will have to deal with he lonely nature of training, you will have to deal with high levels of sustained intensity, and you will have to remain focused and motivated through the duration of a long season. 

Mental training helps you deal with both he predictable and the unpredictable challenges you will inevitably face.  The best athletes I have had the honor to work with are well-rounded individuals.  They are committed to their athletic goals, they train hard, and they keep a healthy perspective of the role of cycling in their lives.

Training is a matter of balance.  You have to balance the physical and psychological loads with adequate rest and time away from the regimen of training.

From Friel’s Mountain Bikers Training Bible

When it comes to exercise, many people fall into the category of “more is better”.  This training philosophy will lead to limited growth, fatigue and worse, burnout.  The better philosophy is to do the least amount of the most effective training at the right time.  It is this reason that you need to have a well thought out training plan.

Consistent training results in greater fitness. 

Training consistently, not extremely, is the route to the highest possible fitness and your ultimate racing performances.  The key to consistency is moderation and rest. 

We all know what happens when we burn through all our energy.  No matter how much will power we may have, we are still forced to slow down.  If we approach such limits frequently and over a long period of time, the body’s ability to adapt is exceeded and recovery takes much longer.  This is not considered consistent training. 

By usually staying within your limits, and infrequently stretching them, you can avoid breakdowns and achieve consistent training results.  You should finish most workouts feeling like you could have done a bit more. 

The time to abandon a training session is when your speed or power has noticeable decreased, or pedaling and handling techniques are becoming sloppy.  Some riders are so focused and determined that they lose control of the workout in such situations and mistakenly believe that continuing will make them faster.  It won’t.

Friel says it very well “When in doubt, leave it out.”  This leads into the next subject: Rest.

A well-rested riders looks forward to workouts, enjoy’s being on the bike, is powerful, has good endurance, and grows progressively stronger as a result of training.  Never underestimate the need for sleep.

it’s time to start thinking about next years training plan.  Few things I learned about my training plan this year:

1. It helped me maintain a consistent workout schedule. 
2. It reduced the stress of worrying about what to do when everyday life get’s in the way of training.  With a week planned out in advance, I could schedule around events or move training days as needed.
3. Forced me to take RR days, which were still hard to do. 

Counting my hours and miles started to get confusing because of the time I spent in the gym.  The method I used to count hours was not consistent.  Next year I will incorporate the hours I spend in the gym into my training hours.

I am also going to do a better job tracking mileage.  I’ll take that a step further, I’d like to track the mileage individually for my road bike and mountain bike.  The reason being is mainly for the components.  I have all the tools to properly check wear and tear, but knowing how many miles are on certain components will lead to a better maintained bike.  It’s not that difficult to track either. 

I don’t use a power meter in my training, but I am still going to use a workload measurement next year.  The workload will be based on HR and is described well in Friel’s book.

That is the race season for me.  Finally, only one more race to go:  Iceman Cometh, November 8. This is a 25-28 mile point to point race.  There is nothing technically challenging about the trail. It’s the distance that is the major obstacle.  Due to suffering from chronic fatigue, I really reduced my training hours over the past month.  That shows in my race results for the last two races. 

Addison Oaks on September 21st was a race I probable shouldn’t have done.  Yet I did it.  Not only that, I also did the Pando race, which was the following weekend.  The week leading up to Pando I paid close attention to my resting HR.  I was experiencing around 10bpm increase in my rest HR.  One morning it was as high as 22 bpm.  Regardless, I saddled up for Pando.  Even on the drive there I felt like I was out of breath.  I just thought I would muscle through it. 

I did do an easy pre-ride the day before.  I wanted to set a race pace that I could handle without over doing it.  My goal was to just finish the race.  I settled in on a comfortable 22 minute lap (4 lap race).   Come race day, that turned into a 16 minute lap for the first two laps.  Then I felt my body start to shut down so I backed off.  I finished right in the middle of the pack, so not so bad. 

I did reach my annual goal of finish in the top 3 for the points series.  I took third place overall, but not to far from second.  I need to build up my endurance to handle 15+ races in a season.  It was those damn TRI’s. 

Anyway’s, here are some random pictures from the race season:
  

Special Thanks To:
  
  

Placement: 11th Place (ugh)
Championship Standings: 3rd Place

This picture about summarizes my performance at Addison Oaks race.  Going into the race I knew I was physically and mentally exhausted.  I was still hoping I could just muscle through this race for a decent finish.  Didn’t really happen that way. 

I hung with the leaders for the first lap.  That is where the good news stops.  I had nothing left after that.  My legs were fried and I was mentally checked out.  Every pedal stroke felt like my legs were on fire.  I was dizzy and tingly all over, which is a clear sign of fatigue.  I felt like I NEEDED to stop, but I knew if I stopped I would be even harder on myself, so I kept at it.  At times I slowed down to a crawl.  People passed me like I was a spectator.  I think a spectator may have passed me, I’m not sure.  I was miserable out there.  When it’s not fun, it’s time to hang up the bike.  Unfortunately, there is another race this weekend (the final race of the championship).

I’m not sure if I’m going to do that race or not.  It will be a day before decision.  Right now, I’m not mentally prepared to do the race.  I’d like to take a week to 10 days away from my bike, then start training for Iceman.  I’m sure my competitive spirit will start kicking in the closer we get to Sunday, but right now, there is no spirit, just exhaustion.

I found an interesting article in Bicycling that I thought I would share.  Deals with limiters during training/racing.

Aerobic Capacity:  Aerobic capacity refers to the body’s ability to use oxygen to release energy in the muscles while riding.  When oxygen processing is your weak spot, you will tend to have that ’sucking wind’ feeling even when your muscles are still strong. 

Aerobic capacity is closely linked to training volume.  Adding even an hour or 2 riding per week will boost your aerobic fitness noticeable.  One manageable way to bump training volume is to go for an easy recovery ride of 30 to 90 minutes after a hard ride.  If you can’t fit an extra recovery ride into your schedule, try doubling or tripling the length of your cooldown at the end of a hard ride instead.

Endurance:  To ride long successfully, your body needs to develop the ability to store large amounts of glycogen or carbohydrate fuel in your legs to burn fat efficiently during cycling.  If you lack these adaptations, which accrue as a gradual result of depleting your muscle glycogen stores in longer-than-normal rides, no amount of drinking or eating will help.  You will experience either complete muscle exhaustion or debilitating leg cramps.

The obvious way to boost endurance is to a a weekly long ride, up to 4 hours. 

Lactate Threshold:  A simple definition of lactate threshold is the maximum power you can sustain for 1 hour.  This is roughly 85% of your max heart rate.  If this is your limiter, you notice you can’t ride at 85% of your max HR for an hour, and that your max sustainable speed/power is too low. 

Allen [Coach in Article] uses a workout called microbursts to efficiently raise an athletes lactate threshold.  After warming up, do 15 seconds ‘on’ at a near sprint, then do 15 seconds ‘off’ at an easy spin.  Continue 10 times.  Since this workout takes less than 10 minutes, Allen recommends the preceding under Maximum Power below.

Anaerobic Capacity:  In practical terms, anaerobic capacity refers to your ability to recover quickly from very hard efforts, those exceeding LT intensity, and to repeat such efforts multiple times. 

There’s no way around it:  To nudge your anaerobic capacity higher, you need to do short intervals at near max effort.  After a 15-minute warm up, do one of these workouts.  In each, ride the hard parts at the highest intensity you can sustain through the last interval without blowing up.  These are hard:  1.  Two to 4 sets of 3 to 5×30 seconds hard and 90 seconds easy spinning, with 5 to 10 minutes easy spinning between sets.  2.  Two sets of 5×1 minutes hard followed by 3 minutes of easy spinning with 5 to 10 minutes easy spinning between sets.  3.  Two sets of 5×2 minutes hard followed by 3 minutes of easy spinning with 5 to 10 minutes easy spinning between sets.

Maximum Power:  This is the ability to contract and relax the muscles very quickly.  Power is the ability to apply force quickly.  Cyclists typically train for power by emphasizing force (pushing big gears).  Allen’s high-rev sprints emphasize the speed aspect, which means high cadence and big power gains without big time commitment.  After a thorough warm up, start at a slow speed, only 5 to 8 MPH, and in your small chain ring, and middle gear on cassette.  Do a 10 second all out sprint with only 1 to 2 gear changes.  wind out the gear before shifting, like you do in a car, going up to 120 rpm before shifting.  Complete 6 to 8 sprints, recovery 2 minutes after each sprint.  Allen suggests doing these sprints, then moving on to microbursts.

Been a LONG LONG week.  Last Saturday had the last triathlon of the season.  It took everything inside of me to cross that finish line.  My body is burnt out big time.  Unfortunately, I still have three more races left this year.  A week from Saturday I have Addison Oaks XC race and then the follow weekend, Pando XC race.  After that I get a few weeks off until early November.  Right now, I just need to find the motivation to get on my bike and train for these next races.  The point standings are so close I can’t afford to be burnt out yet.  Ugh!

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I will not get into politics on this blog, however I would like to say one thing.  I find it amazing and discouraging that out of the 300,000,000+ people in America, Obama and McCain are the best two candidates for President.

Last weekend was the Maybury TT race, which is the 6th race of the MMBA CPS (8 races total).  I wasn’t going to do this race since it’s a long drive (2+ hours) for such a short race.  Plus, being a TT, it heavily favors the local trail riders.  Regardless, I decided to do it at the last minute.

Beautiful day with temps around 85 degrees, if not hotter.  I love that weather.  The only real issue was the lack of oxygen on certain parts of the trail where the vegetation was extremely thick.  Other than that, no heat issues for me.  The only issue I had was in the last two miles when my handle bar clipped a tree sending me over the handle bars.  I slid a good ten feet on my left for arm and shoulder.  No major damage, however my arm was severely rashed up.  I bet it cost me around 1.5 to 2 minutes getting back on bike and regaining momentum.  I took 4th in the race, but was just over 2 minutes behind everyone in front of me.  I’m not sure if I would have done better in the standings without eating dirt, but it’s all a part of racing.

That’s what my life feels like right now.  Three straight weeks with races and on top of that I am moving out of my house in a few days and still have to find a place to live.  I want to rent for now because I’d like to move out to Utah or Colorado. 

This past Sunday was the final race in the Tailwind Time Trial Series.  I had to either win the race or finish two ahead of the guy leading the series in order for me to win it all.  Well, I took 2nd place and the guy leading took 4th so I did it.  I won the 2008 Tailwind Time Trial Series. 

For me that’s a big accomplishment, especially for how much time I’ve put into training.  There is still the Championship Point Series, which has another race this Saturday.  Going to be a hectic week.  I have to train for the race, find a place to live, Friday is my fantasy football draft night and Saturday a race. 

Normally I post up my training log for the week, but I just don’t have time.  I know I’m riding hard tomorrow and easy on Thursday.  I’ll take Friday off and try to get to the race a few hours early so I can do an easy ride around the trail.  At least that’s the plan.  I’m sure something will come up.  Here are some photos from the Time Trial Series. 
 

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Finally have my computer back and running.  Caught a nasty virus that has taken me FOREVER to get rid of.  I was up until 3:30am last night working on it, and that was after two days of work as well.  UGH!

I have the Fort Custer TT race this Sunday.  I am second in points but very close.  To win this series I need to either win this race OR finish at least two spots ahead of the guy leading now.  Considering the competition he’s given me, this is an up hill battle for me.  I will definitely leave it all on the trail. 

I am still trying to find pictures from my last two triathlons so you can see what near death looks like. 
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