Recovery (Well sort of)

Back in the lab on Tuesday. This was an easier Tempo/Endurance based "recovery" session following the pain induced the previous session. After our warm-up we did EN and TM based cadence intervals. We did EN wattage at 80 Rpms and TM wattage at 90Rpms, En at 90 and TM at 100 Rpms, En at 100 and TM at 110, En at 110 and TM at 120, EN at 120 and TM at 130. One minute in each zone followed by one minute in Active Recovery after all 9 repeats. We did this 5 times for a total of 50 minutes. Based on my Spin Scan at the last session, Tony bumped me up 10 RPMS at every step, so my last interval was Tempo wattage at 140 RPMS. This was a really fun workout that I would recommend for an medium-effort day. The Computrainer offered us a slightly downhill course (-2%) which made things a bit easier.

I ordered my race wheels last week from Napper at Terry's Cycle. WTB SS hubs laced with 18 gauge spokes to some Salsa Cross rims. These should be the weight to performance leaders. At any rate, I am excited to give them a go.

House of Pain

I was in the lab again last night. Tony had us do a four part, 80 minute, workout. After the ususal warm-up, the group was split up and embarked on one of four wattage based interval workouts. First I did 20 mintues of tempo and 75, 90, and 110 RPM's. Second I was onto a Spin Indicator program. The program displayed your pedal stroke on the screne and your power output for both legs during the entire 360 degrees of rotation. My days on a SS and a fixed gear shown through as the program indicated nearly level power throughout the pedal stroke for both legs. When you are lacking in leg stregth, effective spinning is a powerful equalizer. This was followed by 20 minutes at Threshold with 3 minutes of rest between sets. The final 20 minutes were 5 x 1 minute on, 3 minutes off, above Anerobic Threshold. This was a killer. The first two reps hurt, and the last three were just brutal.

The good news is that my knee felt good and feels fine this morning. The weather forecast for the weekend is brutally cold, so the rollers will see some hours of action.

The other good news is my weight. I'm down 9 lbs. since the beginning of the year. 9 down, 14 to go.

It's Knee Again

I have a history of trouble with my right knee. It has been reconstructed twice and is none the better for it. I mean structurally it is sound, but the beginnings of arthritis are making their presence felt. I took Tuesday off and went out for supper with my wife. Yesterday I rode my rollers for an hour with some new bike porn (2007 Giro) and it felt like someone was banging the backside of my kneecap with a hammer. This is not completely abnormal for me at this time in the year, but I hope that taking most of last year off is not going to exaserbate the situation. Oh well, all I can do is monitor it, and stretch more I guess.

Today is back to the lab for more intervals! I hope that the knee holds up.

Watts! What? WATTS!

Last Thrusday was my first fit test of the season and confirmed everything that I knew to be true. I am weak. I could only manage a pathetic 215 watt avg. for a flat 10 mile TT at 182 bpm. Having never done wattage based training before, I am not sure what my "in-form" average is, but certainly more than 215. I hope that in three weeks, during the second test, that the result will show some marked improvement. The good news is that when you are as out-of-shape as I am, you can improve quickly. Yesterday I did 1:20 of nice tempo at the cycle lab. It's nice to have some base numbers to work from. My heart rate was much more settled than the first two sessions and my legs felt good to start. Most of the ride was in the 120-190 watt range at about 135-150 bpm. The Computrainer was set for a rolling ride (much like the roads of KY - more on that later) and it really illustrated the importance of shifting when it comes to maintaing peak wattage. Thursday I'll be back in the lab for more!

The most important thing right now is my improved morale. I am really, really, really, enjoying my bikes again. I am looking forward again, which I haven't been able to do for a couple of years now. I have a tentative race schedule and am fired-up for each one. The benchmarks that I am shooting for right now are a return to race weight and lots of focused winter/early spring miles. If I can accomplish these two things, I think that things will be OK.

Welcome to the Brave New World

I thought that I may as well give the blog thing a try.  I suppose a public journal is therapy to some and voyeurism to others.  I'm not sure where I fit.  The posts that follow will document my life as a father, husband, teacher and bike racer.

The past two years have seen two new additions to the family and the anxiety and time off task have taken their toll.  I feel reenergized and ready to ride.  Follow my progress here.